Chapter 3: Beginning the Long Road
Azalea, Lily, and Lucy trooped up the stairs to the first-year girls dormitory. As they'd been promised, their trunks lay at the feet of the four-poster beds, hung with rich red velvet curtains. Frodo's and Elanor's cages hung by their owners' respective beds, and the owls inside them had long ago fallen asleep.
"Wow…" breathed Lucy, looking around. "This is spectacular!"
"Yeah it is," Azalea agreed, flopping down on her bed. She stared up at the canopy as Lily joined her. Lucy sat down on her own bed, looking across at the sisters.
"It seems a little odd, doesn't it? There's only three of us," she pointed out.
Lily shrugged. "There's four boys…maybe seven is a small number, maybe not."
Azalea stood up and started changing into her nightdress. "I don't know about you two, but I think I want to get some sleep. I'd bet ten pounds – er, Galleons – that it's going to be a long day tomorrow."
After a hearty breakfast, the seven new Gryffindors trooped off to their first lesson, Transfiguration. They all took seats together, and cast sideways glances at the group of Hufflepuff students that had the class with them.
The teacher standing in front of them was the same black-haired witch that had presided over the Sorting the previous evening. "Good morning," she greeted them. "I am Professor McGonagall, and welcome to your first class of Transfiguration…"
The new students were able to surprise the professor on the very first day; Azalea, Lily, Sirius, and James all managed to turn the matches that were supposed to end up as needles very slender and silvery. They were shot envious looks by the other students, and as the Gryffindors headed for the main doors and Herbology, they could hear some of the Hufflepuffs muttering among themselves.
"How'd you do that?" asked Remus Lupin, glancing down at his own match in his hand, which was decidedly unchanged.
Lily shrugged. "It's just kind of…making yourself believe that it's a needle, and somehow, it just is. That's all."
"Oh, that's all…" Remus looked at her dubiously, and the rest of the Gryffindors started laughing.
"It's only the first day, Remus," Sirius pointed out. "No one's expecting you to be a great wizard on the first day!"
i One month later… i
"So does anyone know where Remus is?" Lily asked James, as the two of them and Azalea exited the library and headed for the Gryffindor common room.
"Not a clue," James shrugged. "I haven't seen him all day."
"Neither have I," Azalea frowned. "He hasn't been in any classes. Do you think we should ask Professor McGonagall?"
"Let's ask Sirius first, he might've run into Remus," James said. "If not, we can try and find the professor."
Sirius, who had been lounging in front of the fire in the common room, reported that he hadn't seen Remus either, and the four of them set out for Professor McGonagall's office.
She opened the door in response to James's knock, and peered down at the students. "Yes?" she inquired.
"Professor, we were just wondering…we haven't seen Remus Lupin all day, and we wondered if you knew where he was," Azalea asked. "We were starting to worry."
"Ah, yes. Mr. Lupin is ill; he is in the hospital wing, and regrettably cannot receive visitors. However, he should be recovered by tomorrow, according to Madame Sanguia. I am sure he will appreciate your concern; now, however, you had best be getting back to your House."
"Hey, Azalea?" mumbled Sirius, sucking on the end of his quill. Peter had joined them when they returned to the common room, and the five of them had spread out their homework and gotten to studying.
"Mmm?"
"What's the function of daisy roots in a Swelling Solution?"
"Um…they're the catalyst, I think."
"You think?" Sirius buried his nose in i One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi i.
"Trust me!!"
On the other side of the table, James, Lily, and Peter were comparing essays for History of Magic.
"What was that goblin's name again?"
"Elrid the Unworthy…or are you talking about Torrid the Trembler?"
James scratched the side of his head with his quill, leaving a large ink blot on his temple. "I think Torrid…was he the one that started the Great Uprising of 1412?"
Peter sighed, throwing his parchment on the desk and rubbing his stomach. "I'm hungry."
"So'm I, come to think of it," Sirius agreed, still sucking on his quill.
James looked around at the rest of the students scattered around the common room. "Does anyone know where the kitchens are?" he asked to the room in general.
"Yeah, the way down is on the first floor, right behind the entrance hall…look for the painting with the silver bowl of fruit. You have to tickle the pear," one of the older students informed him.
James tossed his quill down and ran up the stairs, returning with a large bundle of something hidden under his robes. "Who wants to go nick some food?" he whispered.
"How are you going to avoid being seen?" Lily hissed. "Not on your life!"
Sirius immediately stood up. "I'll go," he said. Azalea also threw her quill down.
Peter also elected to stay, fearful of trouble; James, Sirius, and Azalea exited the common room through the portrait hole, and James pulled the bundle out from under his robe.
"Wow!" Sirius whispered, as silvery folds of fabric cascaded over James's arm. "It's an Invisibility Cloak!"
"Been in my family for years," James hissed, throwing the cloak open and beckoning Sirius and Azalea closer. Once all three were in a tight knot, he pulled the cloak around them all. "It should be big enough to hide all of us."
They proceeded cautiously down the six flights of stairs to the entrance hall, and back through the door into a brightly lit hall lined with paintings of food.
"What'd he say again?" Azalea whispered.
"Silver bowl of fruit…look, there it is," Sirius whispered back. When they had moved in front of it, he reached out a cloak-covered hand and tickled the pear. It giggled – causing Azalea to giggle in response – and turned into a large green door handle, which Sirius turned. The painting swung open, and they stepped inside.
As the door swung shut behind them, they found themselves in an enormous, high-ceilinged room, filled with huge ovens, stoves, and shelves full of dishes and pans. James pulled the Invisibility Cloak off of them and balled it up in his arms, and the three of them stood there gaping.
Dozens of tiny bodies scurried around, tending to the fires and the numerous pans on them. "What are they?" Azalea asked.
"House-elves," Sirius replied. "They usually work for wizarding families, but it makes total sense that Hogwarts would have so many of them."
One of the elves came up to them, bowing very low. "Would masters and mistress like a cup of tea?" it squeaked.
They all looked at each other. "Erm…sure…" James replied.
Instantly, a group of the elves came up with tea and biscuits, and the three sat down at a counter and enjoyed the sweet, rich tea and crunchy cookies. The house-elf that had greeted them was looking at them curiously.
Sirius finally felt compelled to say something. "I'm Sirius, and this is James, and Azalea…" He indicated the others.
"I is Nod, sir!" the elf squeaked. "Is there anything else sir would be wanting?"
Sirius glanced at the others. "Well…we're up late doing homework, and so…" He didn't get any farther.
"I knows just the thing, sir!" The elf turned around and motioned to some of the others, who went racing off, to return with several small sacks that would fit easily into their pockets.
"This being meat pies, sir, and this one being more biscuits and cream puffs, and this one being tarts and fruit, sir!" Nod told them. The three stuffed the sacks in their pockets, thanking the elf profusely. Nod looked embarrassed.
"I is doing my job, sirs!" he stated firmly. "Nod is always being glad to help students staying up late!"
That was good enough for them; the three headed back for the door, and James swung the Invisibility Cloak back around them.
Lily and Peter stared in disbelief as Sirius, James, and Azalea emptied their pockets onto the table. "How did you get all that?" Peter murmured, already reaching into the warmest of the sacks for a meat pie.
"The kitchen's full of house-elves!" Sirius revealed, munching on an éclair. "We didn't even have to ask for anything…just said we were up late doing homework…"
Azalea had picked up her quill again, taking a chocolate-filled cream puff in her other hand. "Sirius, where were we…"