Chapter One
Papers
It was a miserable day on the ground of Hogwarts. Lightening crashed in the distance and the rain dumped down in buckets upon the dark green grass of the earth. There wasn't a soul to be seen except for the few animals that were now making their way towards shelter. It certainly wasn't a day for being outside.
But it wasn't like the students had much of a choice. Inside the castle and into the classrooms the students had piled inside and were now taking their final exams. Many had confused or worried looks on their faces as they read the questions and tried to answer. In one class the students were sitting among normal everyday objects in the Muggle World. This was the Muggle Studies class taught by Professor Lex Malfoy, who sat at her class, correcting other exams, and occasionally checking up the students' progress.
Lex was a new teacher at Hogwarts, 19 years old and very bright. She had short bright red hair that came down to about her chin. Her green eyes shined out from behind her thick-framed glasses and she had very pale skin. Her robes hung off her thin frame and gave her a very sick look but she had been that small for a while.
She sat there and sighed as she started on another exam and began to correct the questions about why Muggles use this technology or why they don't use that. It was all very boring to her, since she had grown up with Muggles. Some of the answers were so ridiculously off that she had to stop herself from laughing at times.
At one point she got up and began to weave through the isles, looking at papers and seeing how far along they all were. She came to her little cousin, Emily Conners, a brown hared girl who was very smart. She was doing fabulously as Lex saw when she glanced at her paper.
Lex took her seat again and began to tap her feet. She was bored as all get out. She wanted to leave the classroom or have a normal lesson, not sit here watching kids take an exam.
After what seemed like ages, the bell rang and the students handed in their papers. Lex smiled at each of them.
"Have a nice day and enjoy your summer holiday," she said.
This had been her final exam, their final exams as well, and now they were all free. She slumped down in her chair and sighed loudly. She still had loads of papers to correct. How she wished she could just give everyone good marks and leave it at that. Lying her head down on the desk, she took a deep breath and slowly began correcting the tests.
The hours crept by and when she finished the tests the grounds outside the school were pitch black, as well as the hallway outside of her classroom. She had lit a few candles around her and some of them were even threatening to go out. She set down the last tested and gave an enormous sigh.
"Finished," she breathed, grinning slightly, "This was worse then Snape's potions class."
She picked up the papers and put them away in her desk, magically locking the drawer and stood up. She checked the clock on the wall. It was only 6:30 PM, and almost time for the end of term feast. She pushed open the door and ran smack into someone.
She fell to the ground and swore loudly.
"God damn it, watch where you're going!" she fumed, looking up at who she had run into.
A tall woman, about 5' 9" with long, curly, dark red, hair and green eyes looked down at her. She laughed slightly and extended her hand down to Lex.
"Jesus, I was just coming to see if you were going to get to the feast," said the woman.
"God, Breena," Lex moaned, "Knock when you stand outside a door, okay?"
Breena smiled and they began to walk towards the Great Hall. Lex and her had been friends since their first year here at Hogwarts. Although Breena had been in Slytherin and Lex in Gryffindor, they still found a lot of common ground. Many people thought it odd that two people who were supposed to be so different had wound up being friends, but it wasn't surprising to them. They were there for each other, whatever the cause.
They reached the ground floor of the school and found dozens of students running around, chatting loudly and laughing. Breena gave her a faint smile. She knew Lex missed her youth, her innocence, but it was far in the past now.
They pushed their way inside the Great Hall and Lex looked up at the Head Table, where some of the staff was already sitting. The staff at Hogwarts had definitely changed since she had gone there.
In the one year she was away, nearly the whole staff had been revamped and almost everyone was a new face. It made her sad. She had loved the old staff so much she wished they'd stayed. Ashlee Sully, a former enemy of hers was now headmistress. Dumbledore had stepped down, but not before hand picking most of the staff for the year to come. Lex had been oddly close to him and missed him terribly. He had given her the teaching job, in her eyes, purely out of sympathy. But that didn't matter, she just missed the old staff.
Lex and Breena made their way up to the table and sat down, Breena next to Neci Estralita, to taught transfigurations and Lex sat next to Rikhard Finn, the Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Lex didn't say anything, but simply sat there, looking at her empty plate. She didn't feel like being here.
Finally, when the students had taken their seats Ashlee rose and began to speak. Lex, however, didn't pay much attention; she didn't want to hear what she had to say.
"Another year is gone," she said, "And I might add it was splendid year at that."
She surveyed the crowd and Lex lifted her head slightly. None of them really knew what it had been like with Dumbledore here. They had no idea.
"I want to congratulate the Gryffindor Quidditch team on winning the Quidditch cup this past year," she said, not sounding too thrilled, "You fought valiantly."
There came a tremendous roar from the Gryffindor table and Lex clapped half hearted. Rikhard looked at her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, "You seem a bit off."
Lex shook her head.
"I'm just tired Rikhard," she said, sighing and returning to Ashlee's speech.
"I would also like to announce the winners of the House cup," she said, sounding a little happier, "This years winner is Slytherin!"
There was a large roar in the Hall as the Slytherin students jumped up and down. Breena clapped loudly as Ashlee and Feriona Ardantane, the Herbology teacher, had smug grins of their faces.
It was set up. Lex thought and looked down. She felt very miserable.
"And with that I would like to invite you to eat your fill and enjoy the last night of this school year!" Ashlee said, her voice filled with happiness, "And have a good summer holiday!"
With that the food appeared on the table. Breena began to grab food and offered some to Lex but she simply passed it by.
"Lex," she said, "You need to eat something."
She shook her head.
"I'm not hungry," Lex insisted, passing the potatoes down to Rikhard.
She ate a small amount of small food but wound up just sitting there. Breena gave her a nudge and she rolled her eyes.
"What are you, my mother?" Lex asked.
"Well someone has got to get you to eat," she said, "You're wasting away."
Lex shrugged and took a huge bit out a roll.
"Happy?" she asked, through a mouth half full of bread.
"Very," said Breena, grinning.
The feast went by quickly and before she knew it she was lying down in her bed for the night. The year was over and tomorrow she would be leaving Hogwarts for the summer.
It was a miserable day on the ground of Hogwarts. Lightening crashed in the distance and the rain dumped down in buckets upon the dark green grass of the earth. There wasn't a soul to be seen except for the few animals that were now making their way towards shelter. It certainly wasn't a day for being outside.
But it wasn't like the students had much of a choice. Inside the castle and into the classrooms the students had piled inside and were now taking their final exams. Many had confused or worried looks on their faces as they read the questions and tried to answer. In one class the students were sitting among normal everyday objects in the Muggle World. This was the Muggle Studies class taught by Professor Lex Malfoy, who sat at her class, correcting other exams, and occasionally checking up the students' progress.
Lex was a new teacher at Hogwarts, 19 years old and very bright. She had short bright red hair that came down to about her chin. Her green eyes shined out from behind her thick-framed glasses and she had very pale skin. Her robes hung off her thin frame and gave her a very sick look but she had been that small for a while.
She sat there and sighed as she started on another exam and began to correct the questions about why Muggles use this technology or why they don't use that. It was all very boring to her, since she had grown up with Muggles. Some of the answers were so ridiculously off that she had to stop herself from laughing at times.
At one point she got up and began to weave through the isles, looking at papers and seeing how far along they all were. She came to her little cousin, Emily Conners, a brown hared girl who was very smart. She was doing fabulously as Lex saw when she glanced at her paper.
Lex took her seat again and began to tap her feet. She was bored as all get out. She wanted to leave the classroom or have a normal lesson, not sit here watching kids take an exam.
After what seemed like ages, the bell rang and the students handed in their papers. Lex smiled at each of them.
"Have a nice day and enjoy your summer holiday," she said.
This had been her final exam, their final exams as well, and now they were all free. She slumped down in her chair and sighed loudly. She still had loads of papers to correct. How she wished she could just give everyone good marks and leave it at that. Lying her head down on the desk, she took a deep breath and slowly began correcting the tests.
The hours crept by and when she finished the tests the grounds outside the school were pitch black, as well as the hallway outside of her classroom. She had lit a few candles around her and some of them were even threatening to go out. She set down the last tested and gave an enormous sigh.
"Finished," she breathed, grinning slightly, "This was worse then Snape's potions class."
She picked up the papers and put them away in her desk, magically locking the drawer and stood up. She checked the clock on the wall. It was only 6:30 PM, and almost time for the end of term feast. She pushed open the door and ran smack into someone.
She fell to the ground and swore loudly.
"God damn it, watch where you're going!" she fumed, looking up at who she had run into.
A tall woman, about 5' 9" with long, curly, dark red, hair and green eyes looked down at her. She laughed slightly and extended her hand down to Lex.
"Jesus, I was just coming to see if you were going to get to the feast," said the woman.
"God, Breena," Lex moaned, "Knock when you stand outside a door, okay?"
Breena smiled and they began to walk towards the Great Hall. Lex and her had been friends since their first year here at Hogwarts. Although Breena had been in Slytherin and Lex in Gryffindor, they still found a lot of common ground. Many people thought it odd that two people who were supposed to be so different had wound up being friends, but it wasn't surprising to them. They were there for each other, whatever the cause.
They reached the ground floor of the school and found dozens of students running around, chatting loudly and laughing. Breena gave her a faint smile. She knew Lex missed her youth, her innocence, but it was far in the past now.
They pushed their way inside the Great Hall and Lex looked up at the Head Table, where some of the staff was already sitting. The staff at Hogwarts had definitely changed since she had gone there.
In the one year she was away, nearly the whole staff had been revamped and almost everyone was a new face. It made her sad. She had loved the old staff so much she wished they'd stayed. Ashlee Sully, a former enemy of hers was now headmistress. Dumbledore had stepped down, but not before hand picking most of the staff for the year to come. Lex had been oddly close to him and missed him terribly. He had given her the teaching job, in her eyes, purely out of sympathy. But that didn't matter, she just missed the old staff.
Lex and Breena made their way up to the table and sat down, Breena next to Neci Estralita, to taught transfigurations and Lex sat next to Rikhard Finn, the Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Lex didn't say anything, but simply sat there, looking at her empty plate. She didn't feel like being here.
Finally, when the students had taken their seats Ashlee rose and began to speak. Lex, however, didn't pay much attention; she didn't want to hear what she had to say.
"Another year is gone," she said, "And I might add it was splendid year at that."
She surveyed the crowd and Lex lifted her head slightly. None of them really knew what it had been like with Dumbledore here. They had no idea.
"I want to congratulate the Gryffindor Quidditch team on winning the Quidditch cup this past year," she said, not sounding too thrilled, "You fought valiantly."
There came a tremendous roar from the Gryffindor table and Lex clapped half hearted. Rikhard looked at her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, "You seem a bit off."
Lex shook her head.
"I'm just tired Rikhard," she said, sighing and returning to Ashlee's speech.
"I would also like to announce the winners of the House cup," she said, sounding a little happier, "This years winner is Slytherin!"
There was a large roar in the Hall as the Slytherin students jumped up and down. Breena clapped loudly as Ashlee and Feriona Ardantane, the Herbology teacher, had smug grins of their faces.
It was set up. Lex thought and looked down. She felt very miserable.
"And with that I would like to invite you to eat your fill and enjoy the last night of this school year!" Ashlee said, her voice filled with happiness, "And have a good summer holiday!"
With that the food appeared on the table. Breena began to grab food and offered some to Lex but she simply passed it by.
"Lex," she said, "You need to eat something."
She shook her head.
"I'm not hungry," Lex insisted, passing the potatoes down to Rikhard.
She ate a small amount of small food but wound up just sitting there. Breena gave her a nudge and she rolled her eyes.
"What are you, my mother?" Lex asked.
"Well someone has got to get you to eat," she said, "You're wasting away."
Lex shrugged and took a huge bit out a roll.
"Happy?" she asked, through a mouth half full of bread.
"Very," said Breena, grinning.
The feast went by quickly and before she knew it she was lying down in her bed for the night. The year was over and tomorrow she would be leaving Hogwarts for the summer.