The next couple of days were rather uneventful since all of the teachers
were busy preparing lessons. Oliver found himself hanging out with Fleur
and Adrianna every night. Within just the few days that they had been
there, all three of them had become really close friends. Finally Monday,
September 1st arrived, which meant that the students would be at the castle
before dinner that evening. Oliver woke up around ten that morning and took
a bath and got dressed. Then he went downstairs to Fleur's office to talk
to her. Adrianna was already there, and the two girls were deep in
conversation.
"Good morning," Oliver said with a smile.
"Good morning," they both said.
"I am bored," Fleur complained. "I am sick of making lessons and there is nothing to do 'ere."
"Why don't we go into Hogsmeade after lunch?" suggested Oliver. "I've been wanting to get some owl treats for Lightning and they have a magical creature shop there."
"That would be excellent! I haven't really had a chance to see Hogsmeade yet," said Adrianna.
So after lunch that day, the trio set out for Hogsmeade. The first place they went was Zonko's joke shop. They had fun tricking each other with the nose-biting teacups and other items. They stopped in the post office to show Adrianna the wide variety of owls that delivered letters at various speeds for different prices. Then they went to the magical creatures shop.
Inside the shop, there were some creatures that Oliver had never seen before. There were cats of all different colors, poisonous toads, and owls of every color and size. Adrianna and Fleur looked around while Oliver asked the clerk about the owl treats. While Oliver was waiting for the clerk to get some treats from the back store room, he watched the girls walking around and noticed that there was a creature that looked like a miniature leopard with a lion's tail following them. Adrianna left Fleur's side for a moment to look at a rare bird, and the creature was right on her heels. The clerk came back with the treats and followed Oliver's gaze.
"I see he's taken a liking to you, miss," the clerk called across the shop to Adrianna. She turned around and gave a small gasp when she saw it behind her.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's a kneazle, miss. They make excellent pets if they've taken a liking to you, but if they don't like you, beware. This one definitely likes you. They're really bright creatures, miss. They can detect suspicious characters and if you're ever lost, they're guaranteed to help you find your way home."
"He's adorable," she said, picking it up and petting it. "How much does he cost?"
"8 galleons and 5 sickles, plus an extra sickle for the license."
"Will he get along with my friends?" she asked, looking from Oliver to Fleur and back to the clerk.
"Any friend of yours is a friend of his," replied the clerk.
"Alright, I'll take him," she said. "What's the license for?"
"Well miss, these creatures stand out to muggles, so you've got to put a charm on him that makes him look like a regular cat to muggles. And the Ministry of Magic likes to keep tabs on creatures that Muggles could recognize without the proper precautions."
After that they went to Honeyduke's' sweet shop. Oliver bought some homemade fudge for himself. Fleur bought a brick of chocolate as an antidote for her Defense Against the Dark Arts students, just in case. Adrianna bought a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Then they all went to the Three Broomsticks for a drink together. They all ordered red currant rum and talked while they sipped their drinks. Finally, it was late afternoon and they decided that they had better get back to the castle and get ready for the students' arrival.
"So what are you going to call your kneazle?" Oliver asked Adrianna as they were walking back to the castle.
"I dunno. He kind of reminds me of a chocolate chip cookie," said Adrianna. Fleur just laughed.
"For real!" cried Adrianna. "I mean, think about it for a minute. He's warm and soft, and he's light brown with dark brown spots..."
Oliver chuckled. "You could call him Chip," he said jokingly.
"That's so cute! I think I will," she replied.
"I was only kidding, but sure, if you want to call him that then go right ahead."
"I'm so excited about watching the sorting ceremony tonight. I've never seen one before, but I read about it in Hogwarts: A History," said Adrianna, changing the subject.
"If you are reading 'Ogwarts: an 'istory, zen why did you ask us about zings to look out for?" asked Fleur.
"I just got it from the library yesterday. I figured that I should try to learn as much as I can about Hogwarts since I am teaching here."
The trio finally reached the castle. They walked up the stairs together and Fleur left the group at the 4th floor to go to her office. Oliver went up another flight of stairs and turned to walk down the hall, but noticed that Adrianna wasn't coming with him like she usually did.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I have to see Prof. Flitwick about Chip, remember? His office is on the 7th floor."
"Oh yeah. Well, I'll see you later then. Do you want to walk down to the Great Hall together?"
"Yea that would be nice. See you later then," she said and went up the stairs.
Oliver went back to his rooms and changed into his new navy blue robes, then read Quidditch Through the Ages until it was time to go down to the Great Hall.
Finally, it was time to go downstairs for the start-of-term ceremonies and feast. Oliver went over to Adrianna's rooms to meet her. The bookshelf swung open just as he entered her office.
"Perfect timing," he remarked.
Adrianna was wearing denim blue robes that matched the color of her eyes, and she had pulled half of her golden blonde hair back. They walked down to the Great Hall in comfortable silence. Fleur was already there waiting for them. Professor McGonagall bustled into the room right behind them.
"Excuse me; may I have your attention for just a moment? Thank you. I have just been informed that the train has arrived in Hogsmeade. The students will be here shortly, so I must ask you all to please be seated at the head table. After the other students are situated, I will bring in the first years for the sorting ceremony. That is all," she said and left the room again.
Oliver sat down next to Professor Vector, Fleur sat beside him and Adrianna sat between Fleur and Professor Snape. Oliver chatted with Fleur for a few minutes while they were waiting for the students to arrive. He glanced over at Adrianna and noticed, to his dismay, that she was deep in conversation with Severus Snape. He had never liked Snape while he was a student, and saw no reason to start liking him now.
Soon the students arrived and the empty Great Hall was now a sea of black pointed hats. The conversations at the staff table continued while the students took their seats and began conversations of their own. After a few more minutes the doors to the Great Hall opened again, and a hush fell over the crowd as Professor McGonagall led the first years into the hall. They all gathered in a nervous-looking group at the front of the hall, staring at the stool on which the Sorting Hat stood. The Sorting Hat performed the little song that it sang every year at the beginning of the sorting ceremony, and then Professor McGonagall unrolled a piece of parchment that she had been holding in her hand.
"When I call your name, please come forward," she said to the first years.
Oliver watched intently to see the first-years that he would be teaching.
"Branch, Katelyn."
Katelyn stepped forward shyly and sat on the stool, and Professor McGonagall dropped the Sorting Hat onto her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted, and Katelyn walked excited over to the cheering Gryffindor table.
"Castillo, Juan Roberto."
"That's the ambassador's son," he heard Adrianna whisper to Fleur as Juan sat on the stool.
"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the Sorting Hat and the Ravenclaw table cheered loudly.
"Clohessey, Patrick."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Cressman, Nikolas."
"SLYTHERIN!" Oliver looked over at the Slytherin table and saw, to his great surprise, Crabbe and Goyle cheering with the rest of the students. "That's odd, I thought they were in the same year as Harry," he thought.
"Crewe, Charlotte."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Davies, Jack."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Davies, Jill."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Zose are Roger Davies' younger siblings!" Fleur exclaimed in a loud whisper. "'e was a fourth-year Ravenclaw when you graduated. I went with 'im to ze Yule Ball when I was in ze Triwizard Tournament."
"Edwards, Rebecca."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Heatherley, Tessa."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Henessey, Ermengarde."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Jordan, Robert."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"King, Jason."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Medlock, Lavinia."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"McCoy, Darlene."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Smith, Donald."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Williams, Daniel."
"RAVENCLAW!"
As "Williams, Daniel" found a seat at the Ravenclaw table, Professor Dumbledore stood up and the students were once again quiet.
"First and foremost, welcome to the start of a new term at Hogwarts! We have two new teachers joining us this year. First there is Professor Brighton, your new Muggle Studies professor." Adrianna stood up and waved.
"We also have Mr. Wood filling in for Madam Hooch as flying instructor and quidditch coach." Oliver stood and gave a small wave as well.
"Now, I have a few words to say. They are: bubble, mollycoddle, squirt! And now, I have two more words which have been anxiously awaited: dig in."
The tables instantly filled with food and everyone filled their plates and fed their faces. There was all of the usual food plus bouillabaisse, paella and meatloaf in honor of those from foreign countries. When everyone had finished stuffing themselves silly, Professor Dumbledore stood up and once again there was quiet in the hall.
"I have a few start-of-term announcements. The forest on the grounds is out- of-bounds to all students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all students below the third year. Also, it is my pleasure to inform you that this year, we will be having a Yule Ball over the Christmas holiday. And now, let us sing the Hogwarts school song together. You may choose your own tune; what matters is that you are singing."
Prof. Dumbledore pointed his wand into the air and a gold ribbon shot out of it that formed the words to the song. A general ruckus followed as everyone sang the song on a different key and tempo. Finally, everyone finished the song and Professor Dumbledore announced that the prefects would lead the students to their dormitories for bed.
"Good morning," Oliver said with a smile.
"Good morning," they both said.
"I am bored," Fleur complained. "I am sick of making lessons and there is nothing to do 'ere."
"Why don't we go into Hogsmeade after lunch?" suggested Oliver. "I've been wanting to get some owl treats for Lightning and they have a magical creature shop there."
"That would be excellent! I haven't really had a chance to see Hogsmeade yet," said Adrianna.
So after lunch that day, the trio set out for Hogsmeade. The first place they went was Zonko's joke shop. They had fun tricking each other with the nose-biting teacups and other items. They stopped in the post office to show Adrianna the wide variety of owls that delivered letters at various speeds for different prices. Then they went to the magical creatures shop.
Inside the shop, there were some creatures that Oliver had never seen before. There were cats of all different colors, poisonous toads, and owls of every color and size. Adrianna and Fleur looked around while Oliver asked the clerk about the owl treats. While Oliver was waiting for the clerk to get some treats from the back store room, he watched the girls walking around and noticed that there was a creature that looked like a miniature leopard with a lion's tail following them. Adrianna left Fleur's side for a moment to look at a rare bird, and the creature was right on her heels. The clerk came back with the treats and followed Oliver's gaze.
"I see he's taken a liking to you, miss," the clerk called across the shop to Adrianna. She turned around and gave a small gasp when she saw it behind her.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's a kneazle, miss. They make excellent pets if they've taken a liking to you, but if they don't like you, beware. This one definitely likes you. They're really bright creatures, miss. They can detect suspicious characters and if you're ever lost, they're guaranteed to help you find your way home."
"He's adorable," she said, picking it up and petting it. "How much does he cost?"
"8 galleons and 5 sickles, plus an extra sickle for the license."
"Will he get along with my friends?" she asked, looking from Oliver to Fleur and back to the clerk.
"Any friend of yours is a friend of his," replied the clerk.
"Alright, I'll take him," she said. "What's the license for?"
"Well miss, these creatures stand out to muggles, so you've got to put a charm on him that makes him look like a regular cat to muggles. And the Ministry of Magic likes to keep tabs on creatures that Muggles could recognize without the proper precautions."
After that they went to Honeyduke's' sweet shop. Oliver bought some homemade fudge for himself. Fleur bought a brick of chocolate as an antidote for her Defense Against the Dark Arts students, just in case. Adrianna bought a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Then they all went to the Three Broomsticks for a drink together. They all ordered red currant rum and talked while they sipped their drinks. Finally, it was late afternoon and they decided that they had better get back to the castle and get ready for the students' arrival.
"So what are you going to call your kneazle?" Oliver asked Adrianna as they were walking back to the castle.
"I dunno. He kind of reminds me of a chocolate chip cookie," said Adrianna. Fleur just laughed.
"For real!" cried Adrianna. "I mean, think about it for a minute. He's warm and soft, and he's light brown with dark brown spots..."
Oliver chuckled. "You could call him Chip," he said jokingly.
"That's so cute! I think I will," she replied.
"I was only kidding, but sure, if you want to call him that then go right ahead."
"I'm so excited about watching the sorting ceremony tonight. I've never seen one before, but I read about it in Hogwarts: A History," said Adrianna, changing the subject.
"If you are reading 'Ogwarts: an 'istory, zen why did you ask us about zings to look out for?" asked Fleur.
"I just got it from the library yesterday. I figured that I should try to learn as much as I can about Hogwarts since I am teaching here."
The trio finally reached the castle. They walked up the stairs together and Fleur left the group at the 4th floor to go to her office. Oliver went up another flight of stairs and turned to walk down the hall, but noticed that Adrianna wasn't coming with him like she usually did.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I have to see Prof. Flitwick about Chip, remember? His office is on the 7th floor."
"Oh yeah. Well, I'll see you later then. Do you want to walk down to the Great Hall together?"
"Yea that would be nice. See you later then," she said and went up the stairs.
Oliver went back to his rooms and changed into his new navy blue robes, then read Quidditch Through the Ages until it was time to go down to the Great Hall.
Finally, it was time to go downstairs for the start-of-term ceremonies and feast. Oliver went over to Adrianna's rooms to meet her. The bookshelf swung open just as he entered her office.
"Perfect timing," he remarked.
Adrianna was wearing denim blue robes that matched the color of her eyes, and she had pulled half of her golden blonde hair back. They walked down to the Great Hall in comfortable silence. Fleur was already there waiting for them. Professor McGonagall bustled into the room right behind them.
"Excuse me; may I have your attention for just a moment? Thank you. I have just been informed that the train has arrived in Hogsmeade. The students will be here shortly, so I must ask you all to please be seated at the head table. After the other students are situated, I will bring in the first years for the sorting ceremony. That is all," she said and left the room again.
Oliver sat down next to Professor Vector, Fleur sat beside him and Adrianna sat between Fleur and Professor Snape. Oliver chatted with Fleur for a few minutes while they were waiting for the students to arrive. He glanced over at Adrianna and noticed, to his dismay, that she was deep in conversation with Severus Snape. He had never liked Snape while he was a student, and saw no reason to start liking him now.
Soon the students arrived and the empty Great Hall was now a sea of black pointed hats. The conversations at the staff table continued while the students took their seats and began conversations of their own. After a few more minutes the doors to the Great Hall opened again, and a hush fell over the crowd as Professor McGonagall led the first years into the hall. They all gathered in a nervous-looking group at the front of the hall, staring at the stool on which the Sorting Hat stood. The Sorting Hat performed the little song that it sang every year at the beginning of the sorting ceremony, and then Professor McGonagall unrolled a piece of parchment that she had been holding in her hand.
"When I call your name, please come forward," she said to the first years.
Oliver watched intently to see the first-years that he would be teaching.
"Branch, Katelyn."
Katelyn stepped forward shyly and sat on the stool, and Professor McGonagall dropped the Sorting Hat onto her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted, and Katelyn walked excited over to the cheering Gryffindor table.
"Castillo, Juan Roberto."
"That's the ambassador's son," he heard Adrianna whisper to Fleur as Juan sat on the stool.
"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the Sorting Hat and the Ravenclaw table cheered loudly.
"Clohessey, Patrick."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Cressman, Nikolas."
"SLYTHERIN!" Oliver looked over at the Slytherin table and saw, to his great surprise, Crabbe and Goyle cheering with the rest of the students. "That's odd, I thought they were in the same year as Harry," he thought.
"Crewe, Charlotte."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Davies, Jack."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Davies, Jill."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Zose are Roger Davies' younger siblings!" Fleur exclaimed in a loud whisper. "'e was a fourth-year Ravenclaw when you graduated. I went with 'im to ze Yule Ball when I was in ze Triwizard Tournament."
"Edwards, Rebecca."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Heatherley, Tessa."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Henessey, Ermengarde."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Jordan, Robert."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"King, Jason."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Medlock, Lavinia."
"SLYTHERIN!"
"McCoy, Darlene."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Smith, Donald."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Williams, Daniel."
"RAVENCLAW!"
As "Williams, Daniel" found a seat at the Ravenclaw table, Professor Dumbledore stood up and the students were once again quiet.
"First and foremost, welcome to the start of a new term at Hogwarts! We have two new teachers joining us this year. First there is Professor Brighton, your new Muggle Studies professor." Adrianna stood up and waved.
"We also have Mr. Wood filling in for Madam Hooch as flying instructor and quidditch coach." Oliver stood and gave a small wave as well.
"Now, I have a few words to say. They are: bubble, mollycoddle, squirt! And now, I have two more words which have been anxiously awaited: dig in."
The tables instantly filled with food and everyone filled their plates and fed their faces. There was all of the usual food plus bouillabaisse, paella and meatloaf in honor of those from foreign countries. When everyone had finished stuffing themselves silly, Professor Dumbledore stood up and once again there was quiet in the hall.
"I have a few start-of-term announcements. The forest on the grounds is out- of-bounds to all students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all students below the third year. Also, it is my pleasure to inform you that this year, we will be having a Yule Ball over the Christmas holiday. And now, let us sing the Hogwarts school song together. You may choose your own tune; what matters is that you are singing."
Prof. Dumbledore pointed his wand into the air and a gold ribbon shot out of it that formed the words to the song. A general ruckus followed as everyone sang the song on a different key and tempo. Finally, everyone finished the song and Professor Dumbledore announced that the prefects would lead the students to their dormitories for bed.