I don't own anything
I Love You
Chapter-7-A New Home
"Headmaster!"
Dumbledore lifted his head from his paperwork. "Hello Hagrid. Snape. McGonagall. How are you Remus? I hope that new medicine is working out for you."
"No time for introductions sir," said Remus.
"Oh?" Dumbledore lifted a brow. "Why not? I was just about to conjure up some tea and sandwiches as a snack. Figured I might as well have more quiet dinner before Potter, Granger and the Weasley's show up." He laughed at his joke, but when he saw how hard everyone else's face remained he asked, "What do you know that I don't? . . .For once."
The Professor's looked at each other. McGonagall sighed. "Fine. I'll tell him." She sighed and looked at the professor. "Albus, we think you should know by now." Dumbledore nodded for her to continue. "It's. . . Faith, sir."
Dumbledore frowned. "The young third year? Faith Pillat of Ravenclaw? What? Will she not be joining us this year?"
McGonagall shook her head. "She's on the train now sir. Faith Green."
Dumbledore's eyes widened and he stood. "You don't mean"-
McGonagall nodded. "I do sir," she said quickly. "The daughter of Marie Feathergood. Faith Marie Feathergood."
Dumbledore was lost for words. "Are you sure?"
"We've all confirmed it sir," said Snape.
"Lock the door!" Dumbledore said with a wave of his hand. Hagrid obeyed. He took out his wand and conjured up a silencing charm on his office. Then he looked back at the others and said, "We will be careful. Voldemort already knows we have a Potter. He does not need to know that we have a Feathergood to. Snape, Remus. I need you two to put aside your differences for one night. Go and get Feathergood's prophesy. We can not afford to loose it. McGonagall, I want you to go get Feathergood. I'll get a someone to deal with the ceremony incase you are back after it."
"You're done dear," Jenny said giving Faith a pat on the back.
"Thank you," Faith smiled.
"And here you go."
Jenny put a sack of something jingly into Faith's hand.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Your pay."
"Pay? You mean like. . . money?"
Jenny smiled. "Of course dear." Her voice lowered. "Don't tell anyone, but I gave you a little extra."
"Thank you," Faith smiled back.
"And here. . ." Jenny handed Faith, what looked like to Faith a bathrobe.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Your robes. I noticed you didn't have any. Good night."
Jenny shoved Faith out the door and onto the platform with her bag and other things. Faith looked around her. She noticed everyone there wearing the black robe. She quickly put her own on hoping to blend in a little and shoved her money in her bag.
"She payed me in dimes?" Faith wondered out loud as she heard the bag jingle. She threw on the robe and noticed it wasn't as think as your usual bath robe. "Nice!" she smiled and began looking around. "Excuse me?" she said to the people as she passed.
But they all new what they were doing and didn't really feel like helping anybody. "O'er here!" someone shouted. "Firs' years!"
Faith lifted her head. A huge man with a beard towered over the rest. "Who is that?!" Faith shouted.
"Hagrid," said a male voice.
Faith turned again. A short, stubby boy with black hair had answered her. Faith looked at his robe and noticed a picture of a lion on it. "I'm Neville," he said giving Faith his hand. "Haven't seen you around. You new?"
"Faith," Faith answered taking it. "Yes, I am new. . .I guess. . .What's that?" she asked pointing to the picture of the lion, hoping to change the subject and quick.
Neville looked at the picture then back at Faith. "You're definitely not a local are you?" he joked. "It's my house."
"House?"
"Yeah. Here in Hog"-
"Last chance for the carriage!" someone shouted. "I gotta go. Come with me."
"Uh. . .okay," Faith agreed. She got into one of the carriages. "Whoa!" she gasped when they started moving. "How are we moving?"
"I guess it's good thing you don't see them," Neville told her.
"Why?"
"Only those who have seen death can see them," said an unknown voice.
Faith gasped again. But Neville said, "Hey Luna."
"Hey yourself," said a pretty girl. She popped into the moon light.
Faith backed away a little. Luna's eyes seem to go right through you. She noticed she had the same picture of a lion her robes like Neville.
"You're from the states, right," Luna questioned Faith.
Faith felt it she had to answer Luna. Like Luna was the queen of England, because if she didn't, her head would be chopped off on the spot. "Yes," she answered weakly.
"Where?"
"Chicago. It's in Illinois. Not the best place to live."
"So I've heard," said Luna in a misty voice. "Anyway, what house are you in? Oh, wait, I'm sorry, you just got here. You don't have one yet." She sighed. "I don't know why but they insist on sorting anybody new. They won't take you're word for it on which house you were in before. Unless you're here for competition or something. Speaking of which, which house were you in before?"
"How do you know I'm new?" Faith asked. She surprised herself.
"I saw you and Neville talking. Nobody talks for THAT long once they get here. We usually just go to where we need to go," Luna explained. 'Anyway, what house were you in?"
"Gryffindor," Faith answered the only thing she knew. She quickly changed the subject by asking, "Who's 'they'?"
"The professors of this school," Neville answered.
Faith looked out her window. "What's the field for?"
"Quiditch," Neville and Luna answered at the same time.
"Oh." Faith leaned back and thought about what Jenny had told her about the sport. "Who plays what?" she asked remembering that their were two?. . .no. . .three?. . .Faith rolled her eyes at herself. Who cared how many positions there were.
"Well," Neville began answering her, "the Gryffindor team is Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Rebecca something or other, Jessie Plain, Anther Rebecca. . .Thorn? Yeah Rebecca Thorn. And it was Harry Potter, but Ginny plays his part now. And there's someone else. . .can't remember. They're new. From Drumstrong." (Sp?)
"Marigold Twit," Luna answered.
"Oh yeah." Neville said, "Funny how she never got the accent, don't you think?"
Luna shrugged. "Not really. Could care less." Noticing the confused look on Faith's face, Luna added, "She's new. But she made it no secret that she's here. Everyone knows her."
"Yeah, she's always on Harry," Neville answered. "You can't miss her. She's in a uniform that's too tight for her and her hair really sticks out in a crowd. It's a wonder why she got into Gryffindor really. I mean"-
Luna, very loudly, cleared her throat and starred Neville down.
Neville coughed. "I mean. Wait till you meet her."
Faith nodded. The carriage came to a sudden, unexpected halt. Faith nearly fell over. Neville grabbed her wrist and Luna caught her by her shoulders. Faith looked into Luna's eyes and noticed how she couldn't tear herself away from them. But then, Luna smiled. And Faith decided she liked her smile. And now, she liked Luna. A lot.
"You'll get used to it," Luna told her and lifted her back up.
"Thanks," Faith muttered quietly.
Neville opened the door and waited for Faith and Luna. "What year are you?" Luna asked Faith as she jumped out. "I'm in my fifth, and Neville is in his sixth."
Faith remembered how Jenny had told her that you needed seven years of school before you could use any magic outside of it.
"Sixth," was the first thing she blurted.
"Cool," Neville smiled. "This way."
And he began leading them.
"Such a gentlemen," Faith whispered to Luna as they walked. "The conversation. getting the door for us, helping us out, and now, leading us."
"You never had a boy, or young man, I should say, do things like that for you?" Luna asked.
"No."
"Oh."
"But I will admit," Faith said again, "I would rather be the one who leads."
Luna smiled again and Faith couldn't help but smile back. "You sound like a Gryffindor."
They entered the castle. Faith nearly fell behind. She had never been in a castle before, and she couldn't believe at the sight that stood before her right now. Her and more than a few hundred other kids were about to enter through a pair of large wooden doors when she heard someone shout, "FAITH GREEN!"
Everyone stopped and Faith felt her cheeks burn. "That you?" Neville asked Faith.
"How do they know my name already?" Faith asked him.
"They know everyone," Neville told her.
"Go on," said Luna. "We'll catch up later."
"FAITH GREEN!" someone shouted again.
This time, a different voice shouted, "Faith green, Professor McGonagall would like a word with you."
Faith, shyly, stepped forward. A girl, who seemed about her age, with wavy brown hair, and strict brown eyes stepped towards her. "Faith Green?" she asked.
Faith nodded. She couldn't find her voice.
The girl pointed. "Professor McGonagall would like a word with you."
Faith nodded.
"Alright everyone keep going!" the girl shouted again.
"In trouble on the first day?" Faith heard.
"She's better than Potter," she heard a familiar voice whisper.
Faith looked up into the eyes of an elderly woman. The strange, medieval outfit she wore was dark emerald. She had a tall pointed hat on the top of her head and she looked at you with blue eyes over her rimmed glasses. Her lips were set in a thing line.
As soon as she was as level as she could get with her, Faith forced her self her to be brave. She straightened up and looked right into the woman's eyes. It didn't take much for her to say, "Yes mam?"
As soon as she said those words the woman's thin lips set into a large smile. Her blue eyes sparkled. She suddenly seemed twenty years younger. Maybe even more. Faith could have sworn on her life that her eyes looked glazed. What could she want to cry about? Did her voice really sound that bad?
Whatever it was that made this woman want to cry it was over within seconds. Her lips were thin again and the wrinkles were back. Her eyes were stern and showed no mercy. "Come with me," she said. Faith obeyed and followed her. "By the way, I am Professor McGonagall. I teach transfiguration here at Hogwarts."
"Oh," was all Faith said.
"Who do you think that girl was?" Ginny asked Hermione as they sat waiting for the first years.
"Who knows," Hermione told her. "But right now, I'd like to know where Professor Dumbledore is. Perhaps ah had a meeting with that girl. Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Are you alright? You seem very quiet."
Harry nodded. "I'm fine." He looked at where all the teachers usually sat, looked back at Hermione and asked, "Where do you think everyone is? Hagrid, Snape, Remus, even Madam Promfrey isn't there."
The large wooden doors opened. Everyone was surprised at what they saw. Instead of a regular professor leading the students into the great hall it was Madam Promfrey.
Ron looked at Harry and said, "Well there's one."
When they reached the front of the hall Madam Promfrey turned to everyone and said simply, "I will be taking over the sorting ceremony tonight." And she began going down the list.
Faith felt like it was taking forever to get where ever they were going. But in the long run, she did not care at all. The castle she was in was too inviting. She couldn't stop looking around. She figured the professor that she know followed hadn't noticed anything.
But the whole way, Professor McGonagall couldn't stop smiling. Just like her mother, she kept thinking to herself. She wished she got a closer look at her features.
"Here we are," to Faith's relief, the professor finally spoke.
Faith looked at where they stood. There were no doors. Only open wall on one side, a closed wall on the other, and a statue of gargoyle right in front of her. She couldn't stop herself. She asked, "Excuse me professor."
Professor McGonagall turned to her with her thin lips.
"Where exactly is here?"
Professor McGonagall turned towards the gargoyle, she said, "Hershey," and to Faith's surprise she didn't jump back. She just starred with her mouth hanging open. The gargoyle came to life and jumped out of their way. It was strange to Faith. It was like she knew what was going to happen all along. It was like this was nothing new to her. Like. . .like. . .someone had taught her about this type of thing a very long time ago. And by "thing" she thought "magic."
"Follow me," Professor McGonagall said with out looking at Faith.
Faith obeyed. They climbed up a spiral stair case and stopped at a wooden door. The professor didn't need to knock. They heard, "Come in professor."
Professor McGonagall opened the door, walked in first, then waited for Faith. The two stood at the now closed door for a moment and waited. "Albus," Professor McGonagall asked the air around her. "Where are you."
"Right here."
Faith looked up. A very old man wearing red colored medieval clothing descended down the stairs. Faith thought that he would trip over his long white beard. He wore a tall pointed red hat and Faith wondered how the could honestly walk with all the robes he was wearing.
Wait a minute? "Robes"? Faith thought to herself. Is that what they are? Faith wanted to roll her eyes at herself but she didn't. The idea of these people wearing colorful robes as their everyday clothes did not seem so farfetched anymore. It really didn't. The color purple came to her mind. She suddenly thought that purple would be a very nice color for the robes they wore.
It was weird really. Ever since Faith arrived at this castle she suddenly felt. . .complete! As cheesy as that sounded it's true. She felt like she had no mysteries in her life. Like this place, by just being in it, gave her all the answers she would ever need.
"Glad you like it here," said an old voice.
Faith looked up and saw the old man towering over her. "I am Professor Albus Dumbledore. The headmaster here at Hogwarts." He stuck out his hand and Faith took it. "And you are. . .?"
"You should know," Faith said before she could stop herself. She dropped his hand quickly and said, "I mean. . .I'm sorry sir. . .I didn't mean to"-
Laughter suddenly filled the air. Faith frowned. "O! I am sorry my dear. You are right, I should know. And know I do. Faith Green? Isn't that what everyone called you back home."
Faith felt her head moving up and down.
"What about Feathergood?" Dumbledore pressed on.
Faith's eyes popped out of her head.
"Your mothers maiden name, correct?"
"How do you know?" Faith whispered.
Dumbledore pretended not to hear her. He said instead, "Strange. Your birth certificate says, Faith Maire Feathergood."
Faith couldn't hold it anymore. She had to ask, "You knew my mother?"
Dumbledore said the first thing that came to his mind. He was dealing with a teenager who never knew her mother. He had to trust his instinct on this one. So he said, "Yes, I knew her. And your father."
"How?!"
"Maybe you should sit down. Professor McGonagall, you may leave."