Chapter 4 – Troubled Thoughts
The train began to slow down. The group stepped off the train and onto the platform. It was extremely dark and bitterly cold. Leah shivered and rubbed her arms. Ron, seeing Leah shiver, took off his cloak and put it around her shoulders. Leah smiled. He was the perfect gentleman, in other words, sweet as heaven; hot as hell...even his hair showed it! Leah looked around, and saw Matthew put his cloak over Hermione, obviously imitating Ron. "They are the perfect couple," She thought. Matthew hadn't had much luck with girls. Most of them lost interest when he started stuttering, but Hermione was different...they both liked School, Books and most importantly, each other.
"It's great to be home again!" Harry said, as he, Ginny, Ron and Leah got into a Thestral-Pulling carriage.
"Too bad Malfoy's here to ruin it for us!" Ginny replied.
They got out of the carriage after the short journey and headed through the old oak doors and into the Entrance Hall. They sat down at the Gryffindor table and were shortly joined by Becky, Oliver, Hermione and Matthew. Dumbledore sat down just as Professor McGonagal led a group of First-Years up to the stool where the Sorting Hat was.
After the hat sang its song, which took up to 20 minutes, everyone was complaining about being hungry. The noise of stomachs rumbling sounded like a drum roll.
"Ahhh...look at the first years!" Ginny whispered as Professor McGonagal called forward a chubby, short boy with blond hair.
"He reminds me of Dudley!" Harry inquired, just as the boy was sorted into Slytherin. "To be sorted into Slytherin, he probably acts like him too!"
The rest of the sorting went by with very little excitement. After all the new students had sat down with their new houses, the food appeared, but disappeared within a few seconds, because everyone was in such a rush to eat. Leah looked at her plate of food, but didn't eat it. She was thinking about more important stuff. Ron, seeing she wasn't eating, put his hand on her hand, and with a mouthful of Yorkshire pudding, said:
"What's the matter with you?"
Leah, looking up from her plate and staring at Ron, said:
"Huh? Oh...nothing-nothing"
He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Yeah, on, spill!"
Leah shut her eyes. She didn't feel like talking at the moment.
"I'm tired, I'll tell you some other time". There was one thing she kept asking herself:
How could she feel so cut-off, even from Ron, the one person she trusted the most?
After Dumbledore made his usual announcements, he said, "I would now like to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher...
There was a long pause...
"Remus Lupin"
No one could believe his or her eyes. There he was, Professor Lupin, sitting at the staff table, looking happy as ever, only he had new robes on. This was the reason no one recognised him. Murmurs and whispers spread across the hall like wildfire. Then Dumbledore shouted "Off to bed!"
Leah stood up. She glanced over at the Slytherin table. There they were. Her so-called best friend and her greatest enemy, hand in hand. How had Rhian fallen for a creep like that? "Oh, well" She thought to herself, "It's her life, she can look after it herself"
The Gryffindors walked out of the hall at a very slow pace. By the time they got to the portrait, it was already past midnight. They entered the common room and Leah headed straight for the girl's dorms, but Ron grabbed her hand before she could walk ahead of him and pulled her backwards into his strong arms. He whispered in her ear.
"What's up with you?"
"Nothing"
"I'm supposed to be here for you to confide in, not ignore"
Leah looked up into those green-blue eyes. She couldn't help but cry.
"I'm not ignoring you, it's just I have a lot on my mind at the moment"
He looked at her pleadingly. Then he looked sympathetic.
"OK, when you feel you need to talk, or if you need me, you know where I am"
"Thanks"
He kissed her on the lips then hugged her tighter. She felt warmth spread her body and felt heat in her heart, where she had been cold. Then he let her go, whispered 'goodnight' and walked up to the boy's dorms.
"Goodnight Ronald Weasley, my knight with ginger hair" Leah muttered under her breath, smiling.
The train began to slow down. The group stepped off the train and onto the platform. It was extremely dark and bitterly cold. Leah shivered and rubbed her arms. Ron, seeing Leah shiver, took off his cloak and put it around her shoulders. Leah smiled. He was the perfect gentleman, in other words, sweet as heaven; hot as hell...even his hair showed it! Leah looked around, and saw Matthew put his cloak over Hermione, obviously imitating Ron. "They are the perfect couple," She thought. Matthew hadn't had much luck with girls. Most of them lost interest when he started stuttering, but Hermione was different...they both liked School, Books and most importantly, each other.
"It's great to be home again!" Harry said, as he, Ginny, Ron and Leah got into a Thestral-Pulling carriage.
"Too bad Malfoy's here to ruin it for us!" Ginny replied.
They got out of the carriage after the short journey and headed through the old oak doors and into the Entrance Hall. They sat down at the Gryffindor table and were shortly joined by Becky, Oliver, Hermione and Matthew. Dumbledore sat down just as Professor McGonagal led a group of First-Years up to the stool where the Sorting Hat was.
After the hat sang its song, which took up to 20 minutes, everyone was complaining about being hungry. The noise of stomachs rumbling sounded like a drum roll.
"Ahhh...look at the first years!" Ginny whispered as Professor McGonagal called forward a chubby, short boy with blond hair.
"He reminds me of Dudley!" Harry inquired, just as the boy was sorted into Slytherin. "To be sorted into Slytherin, he probably acts like him too!"
The rest of the sorting went by with very little excitement. After all the new students had sat down with their new houses, the food appeared, but disappeared within a few seconds, because everyone was in such a rush to eat. Leah looked at her plate of food, but didn't eat it. She was thinking about more important stuff. Ron, seeing she wasn't eating, put his hand on her hand, and with a mouthful of Yorkshire pudding, said:
"What's the matter with you?"
Leah, looking up from her plate and staring at Ron, said:
"Huh? Oh...nothing-nothing"
He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Yeah, on, spill!"
Leah shut her eyes. She didn't feel like talking at the moment.
"I'm tired, I'll tell you some other time". There was one thing she kept asking herself:
How could she feel so cut-off, even from Ron, the one person she trusted the most?
After Dumbledore made his usual announcements, he said, "I would now like to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher...
There was a long pause...
"Remus Lupin"
No one could believe his or her eyes. There he was, Professor Lupin, sitting at the staff table, looking happy as ever, only he had new robes on. This was the reason no one recognised him. Murmurs and whispers spread across the hall like wildfire. Then Dumbledore shouted "Off to bed!"
Leah stood up. She glanced over at the Slytherin table. There they were. Her so-called best friend and her greatest enemy, hand in hand. How had Rhian fallen for a creep like that? "Oh, well" She thought to herself, "It's her life, she can look after it herself"
The Gryffindors walked out of the hall at a very slow pace. By the time they got to the portrait, it was already past midnight. They entered the common room and Leah headed straight for the girl's dorms, but Ron grabbed her hand before she could walk ahead of him and pulled her backwards into his strong arms. He whispered in her ear.
"What's up with you?"
"Nothing"
"I'm supposed to be here for you to confide in, not ignore"
Leah looked up into those green-blue eyes. She couldn't help but cry.
"I'm not ignoring you, it's just I have a lot on my mind at the moment"
He looked at her pleadingly. Then he looked sympathetic.
"OK, when you feel you need to talk, or if you need me, you know where I am"
"Thanks"
He kissed her on the lips then hugged her tighter. She felt warmth spread her body and felt heat in her heart, where she had been cold. Then he let her go, whispered 'goodnight' and walked up to the boy's dorms.
"Goodnight Ronald Weasley, my knight with ginger hair" Leah muttered under her breath, smiling.