Hi everyone I'm sorry for the delay in updates but here is chapter twelve. Hope you all enjoy.
September first came about far too quickly for Hazel's liking. She felt like there was a lead weight in her stomach that morning and barely touched her breakfast.
"All right, kid, what's up?" Sirius asked her once Remus and Harry were out of the room.
"I guess I'm just nervous." Hazel shrugged her shoulders.
"It's going to be fine." Sirius promised her. "I've not let you down yet have I?" He asked her.
Hazel shook her head.
Sirius kissed the top of her head. "Come on, we don't want you to miss the train." He slung his arm over her shoulder.
They were apparating to the platform. Remus took Harry and Sirius took Hazel and in seconds they were standing on the platform looking up at the bright red steam engine.
Suddenly a fierce panic set into Hazel, pure terror froze her body to the ground as reality really set in. "I don't want to go." She whimpered with tears in her eyes.
Sirius, Remus and Harry all turned to her in shock.
Hazel shook her head. "Don't make me go." She pleaded.
"Hazel, there's nothing to be scared of. Hogwarts is wonderful." Harry tried to reassure her. Completely baffled by his sister's fear of the place he considered the best place in the world.
"No, no, no." Hazel sobbed.
"Remus, take Harry to sort out the luggage." Sirius said to Remus before steering Hazel away into a quiet waiting room. "Come on kid, it's all right." He tried to reassure Hazel.
Hazel wrapped her arms around Sirius's middle and buried her head into his chest sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't explain it, she didn't know why, but her mind was screaming at her not to go within ten feet of Hogwarts.
"Look." Sirius pried her off of him, sitting her down and knelt down. "I know you think it's scary and it is, you've never been out in the big wide world like this before. Not alone. So how about a deal? You stay for a week, if you really hate it, if it's not for you then you send me a letter and I'll come and get you." Sirius promised her. "How does that sound?"
Hazel swallowed. "You promise?"
"Marauder's honour." Sirius placed a hand over his heart.
"Ok." Hazel said in a small voice. "Does it have to be the full week?"
Sirius nodded. "One whole week."
Hazel nodded. "Ok, I'll try."
"That's all I'll ask." Sirius kissed the top of her head. "And I promise, you're going to love Hogwarts once you get there."
"Ok. Sorry, I ruined this whole thing." Hazel shook her head wiping at her eyes.
Sirius smiled at her. "You haven't ruined anything. Come on, let's go." He grabbed her hand and they went back to the platform.
Remus glanced in concern at Sirius and Hazel. Sirius gave him a thumbs up to signal everything was ok. Harry pulled Hazel in for a hug and tried to once again reassure her.
The fear in Hazel's heart was still there but it was not so bad as before. She was nervous but she'd have Harry and Sirius's promise she could come home made her slightly more hopeful.
"Well have fun you two." Remus hugged each sibling in turn. "Try not to get into too much trouble, study hard and have a lovely time." He smiled warmly at Hazel.
Hazel, words failing her, could only dumbly nod her head.
Sirius grinned. "But you know don't be boring, a little bit of trouble is fine." He winked at them, giving each of them a hug too.
"Bye." Harry waved to them.
"Bye." Hazel managed to squeak out before following Harry.
Harry and Hazel boarded the train. Soon after the train began to move out of the station. Harry and Hazel waved to Remus and Sirius until they vanished from sight.
"Come on, let's go and find Ron and Hermione." Harry slung his free arm around his sister the one not holding Hedwig's cage.
They were making their way down the train carrying their trunks and respective animals when the door to a compartment opened and Ginny's head poked out. "Hi Hazel, hi Harry." She greeted them. "Hazel would you like to sit with my friends and I?"
Hazel glanced at Harry who nodded his head.
"Yeah, I'd like that." Hazel smiled at her.
Ginny helped Hazel bring in her trunk and store it in the luggage rack along with the help of Harry before Harry left to find his friends. Hazel sat down in the free seat by the window and let out Simba who curled up on her lap.
"Right introductions." Ginny clapped her hands together. "Hazel this is Luna Lovegood, Penny Diggory and Emilia Reinhart. Everyone this is Hazel Potter." She introduced everyone.
Hazel smiled at them. "Hi. Are you all in Gryffindor?" She asked curiously.
"I am." Emilia, a short girl with bubblegum pink hair and big blue eyes, spoke up. "Luna is in Ravenclaw and Penny is in Hufflepuff." She explained to her.
"Cool." Hazel scratched at Simba's ears.
Penny, a tall girl and extremely pretty with chiselled features, long dark wavy hair and bright grey eyes, cooed at the cat. "He's gorgeous. What's his name?"
"Simba." Hazel answered.
"Like the Lion King?" Emilia asked with wide eyes. "That's so cool. I love that movie." She exclaimed.
Hazel smiled. "Me too." She glanced at Luna who was staring at her with protuberant silvery eyes. "Er… Can I help you?"
Luna smiled at her. "Oh sorry. You're, Harry Potter's sister aren't you?" She asked her.
Hazel nodded. "That's me."
"Were you really raised by a house-elf?" Luna asked her.
"Yeah." Hazel rubbed the back of her neck.
Luna nodded her head and buried her head behind a magazine called The Quibbler.
Penny chuckled. "The word your looking for is… Anyway." She rubbed the back of her neck. "You were at the Quidditch World Cup right? My dad mentioned something…"
Hazel nodded. "Yeah. I was there. Insane right, what happened?"
Penny and Ginny nodded.
"I didn't go. My parents are muggles. But we kind of always knew I had magic because I'm a metamorphmagus." Emilia explained motioning to her hair. "They had to explain it to my parents pretty early on because my hair kept changing colour."
As Hazel talked with the girls she found herself relaxing more and more, the fear easing from her chest. That by the time the train pulled into the station Hazel was feeling a lot better about Hogwarts. Now dressed in her robes, Hazel put Simba back in his basket, leaving him on the train. Apparently all her belongs would be transported to the castle.
Hazel joined Ginny, Luna, Penny and Emilia in a carriage, hurrying to get out of the pouring rain and they headed up to the castle.
There was a commotion in the entrance hall as apparently Peeves had decided to greet the students with multiple water balloons. The girls bade goodbye to each other at the doors before splitting up to their respective tables.
Hazel, Ginny and Emilia sat down at the Gryffindor table along with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George.
"You ok?" Harry mouthed across the table at Hazel.
Hazel nodded and gave him the thumbs up.
"Oh hurry up!" Ron groaned next to Harry. "I could eat a hippogriff." He mumbled.
No sooner had the words left his mouth, when the doors opened and the Great Hall fell into silence. Professor McGonagall led a long line of first years up to the top of the Hall.
Hazel was really glad in that moment she hadn't been asked to travel to the school with the first years. The poor kids looked like they had swum to the school rather than travelled by boats as Harry had told her was the way the first years reached the school.
Professor McGonagall placed a three legged stool down on the floor and placed the Sorting Hat on top of it. There was silence as everyone in the room stared at the hat. Then a long tear near the brim opened wide like a mouth and the hat began to sing.
"A thousand years or more ago,
When I was newly sewn,
There lived four wizards of renown,
Whose names are still well known:
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers
Thus Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these four founders
Formed their own house, for each
Did value different virtues
In the ones they had to teach.
By Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition.
While still alive they did divide
Their favourites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones
When they were dead and gone?
'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,
He whipped me off his head
The founders put some brains in me
So I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your ears,
I've never yet been wrong,
I'll have a look inside your mind
And tell where you belong!"
Applause echoed around the Great Hall when the Sorting Hat finished its song.
Harry frowned. "That's not the song it sang when it sorted us."
"I wouldn't know." Hazel shrugged.
"Sings a different one every year." Ron shrugged. "It's got to be a pretty boring life, hasn't it, being a hat? I suppose it spends all year making up the next one."
Hazel turned her attention back to Professor McGonagall who was unrolling a large scroll.
"When I call out your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool." She instructed the first years. "When the house announces your house, you will go and sit at the appropriate table. Ackerley, Stewart!" She called out.
A boy, visibly shaking from head to toe, although that might have been from being soaking wet as well as nerves, stepped forward and put the hat on, sitting down on the stool.
"Ravenclaw!" The hat called.
The table of blue and bronze broke into applause and Stewart hurried over to the table taking his seat.
Hazel propped her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand. It was interesting watching the first years be sorted but after the fifth or sixth one had been sorted it did become rather boring. She made sure to applaud with the rest of the Gryffindors when one of the first years joined their table.
Finally Kevin Whitby was sorted into Hufflepuff and Professor McGonagall collected the stool and the hat and carried them away.
"About time." Ron exclaimed, grabbing his knife and fork.
Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet and smiled at the students, arms open in welcome. "I have only two words to say to you, tuck in."
"Hear, hear." Ron and Harry loudly exclaimed as the empty dishes magically filled before their eyes.
Hazel filled her own plate with roast potatoes, roast lamb, carrots, broccoli, stuffing and yorkshire pudding.
"So what do you think so far?" Ginny asked Hazel.
Hazel nodded her head. "It's okay, foods good."
"One of the perks." Emilia agreed. "Also the beds are super comfy I honestly don't know how they…"
CLANG.
The three girls jumped and turned to see Hermione had knocked over her goblet of pumpkin juice which was spreading across the tablecloth, staining it orange. However Hermione didn't seem to be paying attention and instead was staring horror struck at Nearly-Headless Nick. "There are house-elves here? Here at Hogwarts?"
"Certainly." Nick replied, looking perplexed at her reaction. "The largest number in any dwelling in Britain, I believe. Over a hundred."
Hermione shook her head. "I've never seen one."
"Well, they hardly ever leave the kitchen by day, do they? They come out at night to do a bit of cleaning, see to the fires and so on. I mean, you're not supposed to see them, are you? That's the mark of a good house-elf, isn't it, that you don't know it's there?"
Hazel turned back to Ginny and Emilia with a shrug.
"You were raised by a house-elf weren't you Hazel?" Ginny asked her curiously.
"Well yeah. I mean Kreacher looked after me. I wouldn't really say he raised me like a parent would a child. He made sure I stayed alive, taught me basic things. Then Professor Nigellus taught me like school stuff and Grandma taught me how to be a proper lady but I never really cottoned on to those lessons very well. So collectively I was raised by a house-elf and two paintings." Hazel shrugged. "So which electives are you taking Emilia?" She asked the girl changing the subject.
"Divination and Ancient Runes." Emilia listed off. "What about you?"
"Divination and Ancient Runes." Hazel told her. "So we'll have two classes together."
"And we'll all be together for Divination." Ginny exclaimed.
Hazel smiled. "Yeah."
Dinner turned into pudding and then once those had been demolished, the remains faded from the plates leaving them glittering again and Dumbledore rose to his feet once more.
As soon as Dumbledore stood, the Great Hall which was still alive with chatter, fell silent. The only sound was the howling wind and pounding rain against the windows.
"So, now we are all fed and watered." Dumbledore addressed the hall of students.
"Hmph!" Hermione huffed next to Hazel, she had refused to eat anything after discovering that their meal had been cooked by 'slave labour'.
"I must ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices. Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it. As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year." Dumbledore paused for a second. "It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."
"What?" Harry gasped.
Fred and George were mouthing silently at Dumbledore, apparently too appalled to form actual words.
Hazel herself was also disappointed by this news. She might not be able to play this year but she had been profusely looking forward to watching the matches and supporting her brother.
"This is due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teacher's time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely." Dumbledore continued.
Something inside Hazel made her seriously doubt this comment but she shook off the feeling.
"I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts…"
There was a deafening rumble of thunder, cutting off Dumbledore's announcement and the doors to the Great Hall banged open.
Every head in the hall turned to look at a stranger standing in the door shroud in a black traveling cloak, leaning upon a large staff. Hazel grinned as the man lowered his hood and she recognised it was Mad Eye Moody himself. Slowly he began walking up to the staff table, his prosthetic foot making an echoing clunk with every other step. Moody turned right when he reached the table and limped heavily towards Dumbledore.
Hermione gasped when another strike of lighting illuminated Moody's face.
In fact several people did including Ginny and Emilia. Hazel however having already seen it was not as effected this time.
Moody and Dumbledore shook hands, Moody muttering inaudible words to Dumbledore from where the Gryffindors were sitting.
"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Dumbledore said brightly to the silence. "Professor Moody."
"Whoo!" Hazel exclaimed clapping loudly. The only person to do so except for Dumbledore and Hagrid, the sound echoing in the silence. The three of them stopped fairly quickly.
The Gryffindors looked at Hazel in confusion at her enthusiasm for the arrival of the new Professor.
Moody glanced at Hazel when she shouted and she saw his mouth twitch upwards slightly in a small smile.
"What happened to him?" Hermione whispered. "What happened to his face?" She gasped.
"Dunno." Ron whispered back watching Moody with fascination.
Moody took the empty seat at the staff table completely unaffected by his less than warm welcome. He ignored the jug of pumpkin juice and instead reached into his cloak and pulled out a hip flask, taking a long drink from it.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "As I was saying, we are honoured to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
"You're JOKING!" Fred exclaimed for all the hall to hear.
The whole hall laughed, the tension from Moody's arrival broken and even Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.
"I am not joking, Mr Weasley. Though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun who all go into a bar…"
Hazel giggled, she had actually told Dumbledore the joke during the lunch she'd shared with him, Remus and Sirius over the summer when taking her entry exams.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly, cutting Dumbledore off from finishing the joke.
"Er - but maybe this is not the time… No…" Dumbledore shook his head. "Where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament. Well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation and allow their attention to wander freely."
Hazel pressed her lips together and tuned Dumbledore out as he suggested. Professor Nigellus had given extensive lessons on the History of Hogwarts and that included the Triwizard Tournament. It was an ancient tournament which three schools competed in; Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang with a champion from each school being selected to partake in three tasks, usually very difficult and incredibly dangerous. Why they thought it was a good idea to revive it Hazel didn't know and the whole thing made her feel slightly sick.
"The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school and a thousand Galleons personal prize money." Dumbledore was saying as Hazel tuned back into the speech.
"I'm going for it." Fred hissed down the table, his face lit with enthusiasm at the idea of riches and glory.
Glancing around the room Hazel realised Fred wasn't the only one it looked like nearly everyone in the Great Hall was envisioning themselves as Hogwarts Champion. Hazel personally didn't think she really fancied it.
"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts."
"I'll pass thanks." Hazel mumbled.
"The heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age - that is to say, seventeen years or older - will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This…" Dumbledore had to raise his voice slightly as students voiced their displeasure at this news. "Is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts Champion." His eyes twinkled flicking over to the Weasley twins who had identical mutinous expressions. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen." He paused for a moment. "The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop."
Hazel rose to her feet watching Dumbledore sitting down and turning to speak with Moody before turning and following Ginny and Emilia out of the Great Hall.
"This year is going to be awesome!" Emilia exclaimed.
"Totally." Ginny agreed. "Don't you think Hazel?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah. Great." Hazel was looking around at the castle. She'd not really seen much of it in her visits.
Ginny giggled. "Where's your head at?"
"Just admiring the surroundings." Hazel was examining the paintings, they were really beautiful.
"Oh right, you've not seen it before." Emilia realised. "Yeah it's pretty cool. The paintings are so pretty." She agreed. "But didn't you get to see it last year when you like snuck in?"
Hazel shrugged. "Not much time to admire the paintings when you're trying not to get caught and handed over to Dementors."
"Oh right, yeah, duh." Emilia blushed.
The girls reached a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress. Her eyes widened when they laid on Hazel. "You!" She exclaimed.
"Oh yeah." Hazel rubbed the back of her neck. "Hi. Sorry about that whole business last year." She apologised. "I know the password now." She gave her a guilty smile.
The fat lady eyed her for a moment. "Well I suppose we should let bygones be bygones. What is the password?"
"Balderdash." Hazel told her.
The portrait swung open and the girls climbed through the hole in the wall into a circular common room with a roaring fire in its fireplace. The common room was decorated with red and gold furnishings, squashy armchairs and tables.
"I'm just going to wait for Harry to wish him goodnight." Hazel told the girls.
"Okay our dorm is on the third floor." Ginny told her before climbing the stairs to the girl's dorm with Emilia.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Neville all appeared through the portrait hole a few minutes later.
"Hey." Harry greeted her. "Wondered where you'd gone." He gave her a hug. "You okay?"
Hazel nodded. "Well you were taking forever! Yeah I just wanted to say goodnight. So goodnight."
"Night." Harry grinned at her.
"I'll say goodnight too." Hermione nodded her head.
"Night everyone." Hazel said to the rest of the boys before she and Hermione walked over to the stairs to the girl's dorms together.
"Are you enjoying Hogwarts Hazel?" Hermione asked her as they climbed the stairs.
"Yeah, it's… different but good so far." Hazel nodded her head.
Hermione smiled. "Well that's good." She motioned to a door. "That's your dorm. Have a good night's sleep."
"Thanks, you too." Hazel waved to her and pushed the door open entering the room.
Emilia and Ginny were in the room along with two other girls Hazel hadn't met yet. Hazel's bed was in between Ginny and Emilia's bed so she walked over and sat down on the bed.
"Hazel this is Lillian and Keira." Ginny motioned to the other two girls in the room. "Lil, Keira this is Hazel." She introduced them.
"Hi." Hazel smiled at them.
"You're Harry Potter's sister." Keira said.
Hazel blinked. "Really? I had no idea." She gasped.
Keira rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."
The girls started to giggle.
"It's nice to meet you. Welcome to the dorm." Lil grinned at her once they'd all stopped laughing.
"Thanks." Hazel smiled back. She let Simba out of his basket and he curled up at the foot of her bed. Hazel set about finding her pyjamas from her trunk along with her towel and her wash-bag. "I think I'm going to take a shower real quick." She announced and walked into the bathroom.
Once she'd showered and changed into her pyjamas, Hazel walked back into the dorm to find the girls were all sat on their beds talking about the Triwizard Tournament.
"What do you think about the tournament Hazel?" Keira asked her as Hazel climbed into bed, Simba crawling into her lap.
Hazel shrugged. "I dunno, seems like it'll be interesting."
"Would you enter if you were old enough?" Lil asked her.
"No." Hazel laughed shaking her head. "I don't really have a death wish." She smiled at them scratching at Simba's ears.
Emilia frowned. "But they've made it safer. I don't think anyone is going to die." She shook her head.
"Well Dumbledore did say the tasks were still going to be dangerous." Ginny reminded them. "And accidents can happen, I mean look at Quidditch, there's loads of safety put in place for that and people still get hurt."
"Yeah but nobody's died." Keira argued. "Who do you think will be Hogwarts Champion? I hope it's a Gryffindor."
Hazel pressed her lips together. "I don't know I think it might be a Hufflepuff." She shook her head.
The girls all giggled.
"Yeah okay Hazel." Ginny shook her head.
And that is chapter twelve. Will try and update again soon. But also if you are on TikTok I have a page my username is emilymusicalfreak if you would like to follow me.