AN: Hey everyone! This is the beta-ed version of chapter 17! Sorry for the long wait, but never fear! Its here now! Well, I sound like a dork, but whatever. Enjoy!
Chapter 17: Start of the Term
People were whispering to each other, looking at all of the first years and the new students. Laurali, though, was nervously looking around, taking it all in; that night, she was the observer. At the front of the room was the teachers' table, with Professor Dumbledore in the center, and many other teachers on either side of him.
Harry must have noticed where Laurali was looking because he whispered to Ron, "Do you see who the new Defense teacher is?"
"No, but maybe Lupin will come in!" Ron responded. Just then, Hermione pointed to the last figure on Dumbledore's right, sitting between a pale, dark haired man, and a plump looking witch.
"Look!" she said, "it must be the wizard between Snape and Sprout!"
"Y'know, he looks familiar," Harry said.
"Yeah, he does," Laurali agreed.
"Maybe you saw him in Diagon Alley during the summer," Hermione said.
'I don't think so,' Laur thought but said, "Yeah, maybe," anyway. Just then, Hermione shushed them because the sorting was beginning. The sorting hat said its peace about the houses, and then the same professor who led the first years into the hall read off a relatively short list of names. First, a small, dark skinned witch came up, and was sorted into Ravenclaw. Next, a small, pale boy with brown hair was sorted into Hufflepuff. The sorting continued for what seemed like an eternity. But by looking at her watch, only fifteen minutes had passed. In the end, there were seven new Slytherin's, ten new Hufflepuff's, eleven Ravenclaw's, and twelve Gryffindor's. Each time a person went to be sorted, Hermione looked like she was trying to match the face to name, and then to what house. She was definitely taking her Prefect roles seriously.
After the sorting, Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome all!" he said. "It is my pleasure to welcome all of the new students, as well as our returning students, to the year ahead! I am also happy to announce that we have several transfer students joining us this year! Before we begin a wonderfully prepared feast, I would like us all to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. We have with us, Professor O'Connell!"
The students politely clapped for their newest teacher who briefly nodded. He seemed like a fun, descent teacher; they would find out soon enough how nice he actually was. He had short, curly brown hair, and tawny skin, adorned with a few moles, and appeared to be wearing expensive robes.
"Now, let's eat!" Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together. Magically, loads of food appeared on the tables.
"Wow," was all Laurali could say, and started helping herself to some potatoes and a biscuit.
Ron was piling up his plate with a little bit of everything, and shoveling so much food into his mouth that Laur could only look on in disgust.
"Ron, do you think you have enough food?" Laur criticized.
"Hey, I gotta eat," was all he said in his defense. Harry just chuckled and ate just as much as Ron did, but in a more civilized manner.
Hermione, on the other hand, was delicately eating her food and talking to a first year next to her. If she was going to go to this school for the year, at least, she better start to make friends with people other than just Harry, Ron and Hermione. Sure, they were great, but Laur had always liked to have a bunch of friends; that way, life would always be interesting. So what the heck? Laur was gonna join Hermione and talk to the first years.
"Hey," Laur interjected during a lull in their conversation.
"Hi," she said. This "she" was Asian, had shoulder length brown hair, and great big brown eyes. "I'm Xi" (pronounced 'she').
"I'm Laur. So, you're a first year?" Laur asked.
"Well duh," Xi said impatiently. 'Whoa,' thought Laur. 'She's got some attitude. I would never talk to someone older than me like that on my first day of school.' But at the same time, she admired Xi for her spunk. "That's why I had to have a hat on my head for a few seconds, and, I'm sitting with the other first years."
"Well, you never know," Laur said just as impatiently. "Thought I'd see how well you'd respond to stupid questions with obvious answers."
"Uh huh. So where are you from?" Xi asked.
"What makes you think that I'm not from wherever here is?" Laur questioned.
"Well, the fact that you have an accent gives it away, and also the part that you keep looking around at everything like it's the first time you've seen it."
"She's from Massachusetts," Hermione answered for her.
"Yep," Laur said smugly. "I was mentioned in Dumbledore's speech. I'm one of the new-Hey! Who are the other transfer kids?" Laur asked aloud mid sentence.
"I don't know, maybe we'll see them later." Hermione said.
"Sure. Ooh, dessert time!" Laur exclaimed as the dinner plates started to disappear and dessert plates took their places.
Laur immediately grabbed herself a piece of lemon-meringue pie. "Damn, this pie is good," she said, taking a bite.
"Good," Xi said, then turned to the first years next to her.
"Did I do something wrong?" Laur asked in between bites.
"Yeah, you're hogging all the pie!" Ron exclaimed from next to her.
"Oh, sorry kid," Laur said," but I was referring about that girl. Oh! Whatever!" Laur said, and went back to her pie.
While all of this happened, for the first time, Laurali started to feel like she was being watched and heard muttering all around her. Looking up from her now empty plate, Laur realized that people were talking to each other and pointing in Harry's direction. Laur looked over at Harry and thought that, 'well, maybe its because he's famous, and good looking.' But she would soon be proved wrong. Dumbledore stood up a few moments later, as all of the plates and silverware were removed from the tables.
"Now that we are full, I would like to make a few announcements. Once again, welcome new students and Professor O'Connell! But, this is the time where we must have a moment of silence for our fallen student, Cedric Diggory." Again, the attention was shifted to Harry, but this time, the looks were more hostile and accusing. Harry, Laurali noticed, failed to look up at the others faces and just bowed his head down. Soon, more people were bowing their heads in respect for Cedric. At the Hufflepuff table, there were a few girls with tears rolling down their faces and had their arms around the smalls of each other's backs.
"Now, thank you all," Dumbledore began again. "I must ask you all to remember that hard times may be before us, but Hogwarts is the safest place for you all to be. You needn't worry about a thing. On a happier note, Quidditch tryouts will be posted in each common room. Good luck to all of you trying out. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind all of you, for the 462nd time that no magic is permitted in the corridors, and that the list of objects not allowed in school is once again posted on his office door. Now, I believe that this is all for now; good night everybody. Prefects please escort the first years to the common room."
Hermione stood up on a bench and announced, "Gryffindor first years! Follow me!" Then she said to Neville, who was extremely nervous and shaking, "you go in the back Neville, I'll lead us to the common room."
"Rrri-, ahem- right," he said stuttering.
Laurali, Harry, and Ron decided that since Laur was new to school, they'd give her a thorough tour the following day, but for now, they'd show her the way to the common room with Hermione, Neville and the first years. Laur gasped at the moving portraits, and almost freaked out when they were on the stairs.
"Oh my goodness gracious!" she exclaimed when she saw the stairs were moving at different times. "You want me to get on the stairs?" she asked Harry.
"Err, year," he answered. "It's the way to the common room."
"C'mon Laur, the first years did it with no problem," Ron said.
"Good for them," she said stubbornly, "but I'm not good with heights."
"Oh, so that's why you don't like Quidditch," Harry said.
"No, it's just dumb, and the fact that I really don't know all of the rules and actually haven't been to an exciting game."
"Laur, it's getting late. I want to go to bed," Ron said.
"Fine, I'll just close my eyes or something."
"This should be interesting," Ron muttered under his breath.
"What did you say Ron?" Laur said.
"Nothing, let's go."
"Okay," she said after a deep breath, "I'm walking on a moving staircase." When they finally reached the top, she opened her eyes and exhaled deeply.
"Yay! I did it!"
"Congratulations, let's go." Harry said, albeit a little annoyed.
"Yes sir," Laur said with a mock salute.
After some complicated turns and more staircases, they finally reached a dead end with a portrait of a rather fat woman wearing a pink dress.
"Are we lost?" Laur asked.
"No, of course not," Harry said. "This is the Fat Lady, she's the entrance to the Gryffindor common room."
"Oh," Laur said, feeling dumb. "Hi," she said to the Fat Lady.
"Transfiguration," Ron said, before the Fat Lady could say anything, and she opened, revealing, in fact, the Gryffindor common room.
The first years were just walking up the staircases to their rooms, and Hermione and Neville were following them.
"I think I'm gonna like it here," Laur said, plopping in one of the plump, comfortable red couches in front of the fire.
There were other students around her, just looking at her, puzzled, not entirely sure who she was. Thankfully, though, they didn't say anything, and she was able to close her eyes and let her mind wander. She sighed deeply and wondered where she and Harry had seen Professor O'Connell before, since the only place that they've been together was Diagon Alley, and she was positive that that wasn't where she knew the face from.
AN: Another chapter done! I hope you guys liked it. I know that when I originally posted this chapter, it was Thanksgiving, and it must have been the turkey's natural sedatives or something, because I got really upset, and disappointed that not as many people liked my story as I hoped.
The next chapter is long, and will be up soon! Keep reviewing please!
Thanks!
Lauren
