DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter! I do "own" the plot, Elizabeth, and Julianna. I do not own the doughnut eyes quote either, that's from The Weekender's except it's Carver not Ron.
Author's Note: I am reposting the first five chapters after doing some major revising in parts to try to make it a bit closer to canon. I hope you enjoy the new version of "A Year to Remember" (and if anyone can think of a better title, please tell me :-)
Chapter 2: Hogwarts, the Sorting, and an Unexpected Meeting
Hogwarts was more impressive inside than out. The ceiling of the entrance hall was almost too high to see and a magnificent marble staircase went up to the next floor. The whole thing was lit with torches.
"C'mon!" Harry said, "Let's go find McGonagall!"
Elizabeth followed Harry into another room. This she assumed was Great Hall. In it were four long tables set with golden plates and goblets. At the front of the room on a raised area was another table set perpendicular to the other tables which was obviously the teachers table. Behind this was a huge banner bearing the Hogwarts crest. It was up to this table that Harry led her.
"Excuse me Professor," Harry said stopping beside a black-haired witch, who even sitting down looked tall. She had a look about her of someone you did not want to get angry, with a severe expression and hair pulled back in a tight bun.
"Yes, Mr. Potter?" she answered.
"This is Elizabeth Lupin…"
"Ah yes Miss Lupin," said Professor McGonagall cutting Harry off, "If you don't mind we would like to sort you after the first years but before the feast. Professor Dumbledore will make a short announcement as I believe you are only the fifth recorded transfer in the school's history. Is that fine with you?"
"Yes Professor, it is."
"Very well. Now you may go sit where you wish until the first years are sorted and we call you up."
Harry and Elizabeth went and sat down at the Gryffindor table and were shortly joined by Ron and Hermione who sat down across from each other, Hermione by Elizabeth and Ron by Harry.
"You will not believe how long it takes to get a group of second years organized," ranted Ron, "We were not that difficult. We couldn't have been."
Hermione just smirked at him across the table. Then she turned to Elizabeth. "So how are they sorting you? Or have they already?" she asked.
"No. I'm getting sorted after the first years but before the feast, Professor Dumbledore is going to make an announcement of some sort before it so I know when to come up. I don't really want to be standing up there by myself but I'll do it."
"Well, I hope you get in Gryffindor, like us, 'cause it's the best!" said Ron.
"Course I want to be in Gryffindor! What else?" Elizabeth replied.
"Be quiet you guys!" Hermione whispered urgently as a giant of a man entered the room leading a group of frightened looking first years and carrying a battered old hat and a three-legged stool. He set the stool on the raised area and the hat on the stool, organized the first years into a semi-straight line, said "Professor Mc Gonagall, here are the firs' years as ye can see," and sat down at one end of the table.
"That's Hagrid," Ron whispered but stopped when Hermione glared at him. Now, everyone was staring at the hat.
"Why are we all looking at a hat?" Elizabeth thought to herself. Then, the hat started to sing.
These little first years look like they're afraid
I might gobble them up
Or maybe they think I'll shrink them
To the size of a cup
Or turn them into a wart
But all I'm going to do is
SORT, SORT, SORT!
There's Gryffindor and Ravenclaw
Hufflepuff as well
Slytherin and that's the stuff
That makes Hogwarts School so swell!
So try me on, don't be afraid
I know where you belong
You see it's said
That I've never ever once been wrong!
And with that, the Sorting began. It went all the way from "Andrews, Katie" (Gryffindor) to "Zwicker, Jeremy" (Slytherin). Then, Professor Dumbledore stood up. When he stood up Elizabeth knew why her grandmother had wanted her to go to school here. Even though Professor Dumbledore looked extremely old he had a look of great strength.
"Students new and old," he began, "This year we have a new student with us and I do not mean a first year. She is a sixth year student who transferred here from Alakazam Academy in Canada. Elizabeth Lupin, please come up to be sorted."
Elizabeth got up and walked towards the teachers table. She got up to the stool, sat on it, and Professor Mc Gonagall placed the hat on her head.
"Ah what have we here, a new sixth year?" said the hat in her ear.
"Yes," Elizabeth thought back.
"Well, you're courageous, daring, and quite intelligent."
"Of course I'm intelligent! I was top of the class in most of my classes at Alakazam!"
"Well, I think I should put you in …GRYFFINDOR!" said the hat yelling out the last word to the hall.
Elizabeth heard all the Gryffindors cheering as she walked back to her seat beside Hermione. She looked up at the teachers table and saw her mom give her a thumbs-up. Elizabeth smiled in return.
"Now there is a time for announcements," said Professor Dumbledore standing up, "But it's not now! Dig in!" With that the plates all filled with food magically.
It was an amazing feast with all sorts of different foods: chicken, pork, beef, veggies, and more. During the course of the meal Elizabeth met Ron's sister Ginny, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil (two sixth year Gryffindor girls which Elizabeth and Hermione would share a dormitory with), and many other Gryffindors. She also found out that Dean and Seamus were sixth year Gryffindors. The feast ended as Ron was about to get another helping of dessert.
Professor Dumbledore stood up. "I have a few announcements," he began, "As always the forest is forbidden. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to remind you for what he says is the five-hundredth-and-second-time that no magic is to be used in the hallways and also that he has added Portable Swamps and any other Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products to the list of things forbidden in the halls. I have also been asked by Fred and George Weasley to inform the third years and higher that on the first Hogsmeade weekend, which shall be on the 24th of October, the Hogsmeade branch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes will be having it's grand opening and they invite you all to attend," Elizabeth could have sworn she saw Dumbledore wink at the caretaker when he said this.
He continued, "Now I would like to introduce our new Herbology teacher, Julianna Lupin. Professor Sprout has taken a year off to study and Professor Lupin has gladly accepted the position on quite short notice. I would also like to introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher but as he was delayed I have decided to wait until he arrives to introduce him.
Quidditch tryouts will be held next week for all houses. The exact dates will be posted on the bulletin boards in your common rooms. Now first years follow a prefect from your house up to your common room. Goodnight everyone!"
With that everyone stood up and began to move towards the huge double doors out into the Entrance Hall. Elizabeth followed Harry up some staircases, down a hallway and behind a tapestry which covered a secret passage.
"Watch out for the trick step," Harry said.
"Watch out for-whaaa!"
"I said 'Watch out for the trick step'," Harry said as he pulled Elizabeth up out of the step which she had sunk into up to her knee.
"Ohhh, I didn't hear the trick step bit."
"I noticed."
As they came out of the passage and continued down hallway, Elizabeth began to notice people whispering as she and Harry passed. At first she thought they were talking about her, but soon realized that the whispers were about Harry.
"So, I guess you get a lot of attention with the whole Voldemort thing, huh?" she asked.
"Yeah, at least this year I won't have the Ministry and the Daily Prophet saying I'm insane. Wait a second, how come you say his name? Most wizards don't, even if they're from outside of Britain."
"My grandmother always said 'Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself'," Elizabeth quoted her grandmother in an old granny voice.
"She sounds like Dumbledore."
"Yeah. She knows him. I'm not sure how though."
"Well, here's the entrance to Gryffindor Tower," Harry said stopping in front of a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress, "Wonder what the password is? Should've asked Hermione."
"Should have asked me what?" inquired Hermione, as she and Ron came around the corner followed by the first years.
"I should've asked you what the password is," Harry replied.
Hermione turned around and Elizabeth thought she was ignoring Harry until Hermione began to talk to the first years.
"Never forget the password to the common room. Without it you're stuck outside until someone else comes along. Never tell the password to someone in another house because the common room and dormitories are just for Gryffindors. Slytherins have one for Slytherins, Ravenclaws have one for Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs have one for Hufflepuffs. With that all said the password to the common room is …," Hermione paused for a moment to dig a small piece of paper out of the pocket in her robes, "Caput Draconis!" And with that the portrait swung forward revealing a doorway.
"Didn't we have one similar to that some time?" Harry asked Ron.
Elizabeth didn't listen to Ron's reply as she was busy looking around the common room. It was a round room with a large fireplace and lots of comfy-looking armchairs and coaches. She heard Hermione say to the first years, "Girls dormitories to your right and boys dormitories to your left." The first years separated and went up to their dormitories. Elizabeth followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione over to some armchairs right by the fire and sat down in one with her back against one armrest and her legs over the other.
"Wonder who the new Defence teacher will be?" Ron wondered aloud.
"I don't know but anyone will be better than Umbridge!" Hermione replied.
"Who was Umbridge?" Elizabeth asked, puzzled.
"Umbridge was…ummm…the worst teacher ever!" Harry replied, laughing.
"Wow Harry, she's worse than Snape?" Ron said.
"Most definitely. She was terrible. I still have the scars from my detentions with her. Seriously I'd think punishment like that would be banned."
"What did she do to you?" Elizabeth asked, imagining an evil looking witch cutting Harry practically in half.
"Look at my hand," Harry said stretching his hand out towards her. Elizabeth looked at it for a moment then realized…
"I must not tell lies!" she gasped, "She made you write 'I must not tell lies' on your hand! But how? Aren't you right handed? That's on your right hand."
"It was a special quill that, as I wrote on the page, magically cut my hand and used my blood as ink. Trust me, I had a fair number of detentions with her last year," Harry told her.
For the rest of the evening they talked about what they thought would happen in the next school year. A few of the people Elizabeth had met a supper came over to talk for a little while. Eventually at ten o'clock Hermione said she was going up to bed.
"Ok Hermione, I'll be up soon likely. I just don't feel like bed quite yet," Elizabeth said with a yawn.
Ron watched Hermione walk up the staircase. Elizabeth leaned over to Harry and whispered, "Look at Ron. His eyes are so glazed; it's making me hungry for doughnuts."
Harry laughed so hard he snorted. Ron finally stopped looking longingly at the girl's staircase to give Harry a perplexed look.
"You all right mate?" he asked as if he thought Harry had cracked.
"Absolutely fine. It was just something Elizabeth told me," Harry replied.
"Care to let me in on the joke?" Ron asked, looking at the two of them laughing hysterically.
"No!" Harry said, just as Elizabeth said "Yes!"
"So what is the big joke?" he asked again.
"I said your eyes were so glazed it was making me hungry for doughnuts!"
"How can eyes be glazed? And what are doughnuts?"
"Eyes can be glazed when you're staring at something or someone," Elizabeth explained, "Doughnuts are a type of Muggle food which often is covered in a sugary coating called a 'glaze'. Hence they are 'glazed'."
"What was I staring at? I wasn't staring at anything."
"Except Hermione and the staircase she'd just gone up."
"I was not staring at 'Mione!"
"Were too!"
"Was not!"
"Were too!"
"Was not!"
"Were too!"
"Was not!"
"Were too!"
"Was not!"
"Were too!"
"Was not!"
"Were too!"
"Was not!"
"Will you two stop!" Harry yelled.
"Ok. I'm going up to bed. Oh, and Ron, WERE TOO!" Elizabeth said as she started up the staircase.
"WAS NOT!"
Elizabeth was laughing as she headed up the stairs. She got to the top, found a door labelled "6th Years" and walked in. Hermione was in her bed reading, while Lavender and Pavarti were talking to each other.
"Hey guys," Elizabeth said, still snickering slightly.
"What's up with you?" Hermione asked.
"Oh nothing just Ron and Harry's reactions to something I said. Harry laughed so hard
he snorted and Ron denied it after I explained it to him."
"What was it though?"
"I said Ron's eyes were so glazed, it was making me hungry for doughnuts!"
Lavender and Parvati started to giggle. Hermione looked confused.
"Why would his eyes be glazed?"
"Cause he was looking at you!" Elizabeth, Lavender, and Parvati screamed.
"Why would he be looking at me with glazed eyes?"
"Because he likes you, 'Mione."
"'Mione?"
"He called you that."
"Who? Harry?"
"NO! Ron! You know, the one we're talking about! Mr. Doughnut Eyes!"
"Be quiet! As if he likes me! We fight all the time!"
"Whatever, 'Mione!"
Hermione threw her pillow at Elizabeth. Elizabeth threw hers back. Back and forth the pillows went until eventually they both decided that they'd rather sleep, than get pummelled with pillows.
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The next morning Elizabeth woke up before the other girls in her dormitory. She went downstairs and sat by the fireplace.
"Hey, why are you up so early?" a voice said as Elizabeth turned to look at the speaker.
"I could ask you the same thing, Harry. Where's Mr. Doughnut Eyes?"
"Mr. Dough…Oh Ron! He's still sleeping."
"Hermione didn't believe me that he likes her or that he called her 'Mione."
"Yeah, she wouldn't notice that. She good at schoolwork and explaining other girls, but she obviously doesn't notice Ron likes her. I mean, he gave her perfume for Christmas last year. I gave her a book …I think."
"Well do you want to go get some breakfast?"
"Okay, let's go."
They walked down to the Great Hall seeing almost no one in the halls. When they got to the hall they sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Ron's sister, Ginny.
"Hey guys! What's up?" Ginny asked.
"Not much," Elizabeth replied, "Except that your brother likes Hermione."
"That's old news! You see I caught him staring at a picture of her over the summer holiday. He thinks he shoved it under his pillow before I could see what it was."
The three of them started laughing but stopped as breakfast appeared. "I was wondering when the house elves would be sending up breakfast," Harry commented.
Elizabeth grabbed a piece of buttered toast as Ginny dished scrambled eggs on to her plate saying, "Speaking of house elves, NEVER mention them in front of Hermione unless you want her roping you into S.P.E.W."
"What's a … spew?"
"Hermione's organization. Society for the Protection of Elvish Welfare, she wants to get house elves paid and for them to have vacation and stuff."
"Okay… I'll never mention them at all."
"Never mention what?" said Julianna Lupin as she came up behind Harry, who was sitting across from Ginny and Elizabeth.
"Never mention elves to my new friend Hermione. By the way these are two of my other new friends, Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter."
"Pleased to meet you both. I assume I'll have you in the greenhouses for Herbology sometime this week."
"Yes, Professor Lupin," Harry and Ginny said together.
"Anyways, see you later Elizabeth," Julianna said and walked up to the teachers table.
Elizabeth, Harry, and Ginny had almost finished their breakfast when Ron and Hermione came down for breakfast (separately). There were no classes that day as it was a Sunday. Harry and Elizabeth giggled through the time it took Hermione and Ron to eat because Ron was so absorbed with watching Hermione he kept missing his mouth and Hermione was so oblivious to it. After breakfast, Hermione suggested they go visit Hagrid.
"Who's Hagrid?" Elizabeth asked as they left the Great Hall.
"He's our friend. He brought the first years in last night to be sorted. His full name is Rubeus Hagrid, but everyone just calls him Hagrid. He's half-giant and not a fully qualified wizard. He was expelled during his second year for something he didn't do and now he teaches Care of Magical Creatures," Hermione replied as the four of them headed outside and down towards a large hut by the Forbidden Forest, "That's his house."
When they got to the door, Harry knocked on it. A booming voice from inside answered, "Who is it?"
"Hagrid, it's us!" the other three yelled as Elizabeth stood slightly back from the door.
"Well, I was wondrin' if you three would be visitin' me since yeh got the day off from yer classes," said the enormous man who had appeared in the doorway of the hut. He was about twice as tall as a normal man and about three times as wide. He had wild black hair and a beard to match. Underneath all the hair, a pair of black eyes twinkled as they looked at Elizabeth. "You three had better be introducin' me to yer new friend, 'ere."
"Oh! Hagrid, this is Elizabeth Lupin. Elizabeth, this is Hagrid," Hermione said.
"Lupin, eh?" Hagrid said as they went inside.
"Yes, my mom's the new Herbology teacher."
"I see. Julianna's yer mother, is she now?" And he left it at that.
They passed most of the morning at Hagrid's with Hagrid and his slobbery dog, Fang. Eventually, the four of them went up to the castle for lunch (Elizabeth expected that it had something to do with the other's experience with Hagrid's cooking, by the way they had looked apprehensively at Hagrid's oven).
Lunch was a whole bunch of different things, but Elizabeth decided to play it safe with a sandwich as she had no idea what half of the other stuff was. Supper was pretty much the same later on in the day. After supper, they started up to Gryffindor Tower. As they passed the statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch on the third floor a voice came from behind them…
"Harry! Ron! Hermione!"
They all turned around. "Professor Lupin! Are you the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" the other three asked almost in unison, as Elizabeth stared at the man in front of her who she hadn't seen for thirteen years.
"Lizzy?" he asked ignoring the question from the other three.
"Yes, Daddy."