The Missing Year
Disclaimer: I'm too lazy to paste this on each individual chapter so it applies for the whole story: I do not own anything to do with Harry Potter except some posters, a couple of mugs, a rug, some pens and a booklight, a Quidditch game, silver coins, trading cards out of chocolate frogs and a make-your-own chess set and, come Christmas, a snow globe thing my mum found in some random shop. So, let me rephrase that: I do not own anything to do with therights of Harry Potter and if I did what are the chances I'd be wasting my time writing fan fiction? Multi-million, probably billion, pound franchise like that...Yeah, writing fan fiction is really what I'd be spending my time doing(!)
Authors Note: Just a quick thing: this is the third year from Growing up Is Hard To Do (I will finish it soon!). If you want to, I advise you read chapters 1 - 38 of that if you don't know what's going on. This should work well as a stand-alone chapter though, I'm just using it incase anyone gets confused...mainly me. More chapters to come as they're written...
As the September of 1975 started and 11.15 rolled around, excitement filled the pupils of Hogwarts as they left Kings Cross Station. Some were filled with nervous anticipation as they awaited the first glimpse of what was to become their new home. For others there was an almost sadness as they realised that this was the last time they would journey to the place that had brought them so many memories, both good and bad. Then there was another group, the ones who were neither starting Hogwarts nor preparing to leave it. These were the ones who were excited to catch-up, explore new areas and learn new things, but mostly, they were the ones who wanted that feeling of belonging that you get when you are finally accepted. The same feeling that most muggles spend their whole lives trying to find but never quite manage.
The students headed to Hogwarts were not the only ones hoping to remember that feeling of belonging that had been lost to them over the past 6 weeks. A small selection of Hogwarts students were headed to Beauxbatons, France and every fibre of their being was praying that they would be accepted there as easily as they had been at Hogwarts. None of the delegation wanted this more that Lily, who felt like she hadn't belonged anywhere in a long while.
What all of these students didn't realise, what they didn't know, was that this was the year that would test everything they knew. Those who felt their school was the place they belonged would soon find themselves feeling it was a living hell as waves of terror and suspicion spread throughout the students. Personal terrors would haunt some while others would find their loyalties tested. But for some, those lucky few, the trials they were about to face would merely serve to strengthen the bonds between them and make them realise that the thing they needed all along was the thing they'd always had. That school year, 1975 – 1976, our groups third year, would be such a challenge that it would mould and affect everyone and help in shaping them to be who they were born to be.
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A group of terrified first years stood shaking outside the large wooden doors of the Great Hall. Their nervous but excited chatter filled the area in which they stood, a great comparison to the almost silence coming from a group of new students thirteen to sixteen year olds. These were the French exchange pupils and they were too busy staring in awe at the school and it's comparison to their normal one to concern themselves with trivial things like nonsensical chatter. A tall, young woman appeared before them.
"Welcome to Hogwarts; I am Professor McGonagall, transfiguration teacher, head of Gryffindor and the new Deputy Head teacher. If you would all like to follow me we shall begin the sorting."
She led them through the doors and into an extremely large room with four tables, each one decorated with a banner above it, a different animal in each. Students sat at each of these tables, watching the newcomers expectantly. The Professors were sat at a smaller table running parallel to the others, they too were waiting eagerly.
"First, we will here from the Sorting Hat." Professor McGonagall placed a tattered hat on top of a stool, a tear appeared at the brim and the hat began to sing.
"Every year the people come,
Every year I give them homes.
Everyone of different blood,
From Muggle-born to Gnome.
Now it's time to start again,
To sort you for all time.
Isn't that a pain for you?
Your life changing on a dime.
Gryffindor, Ravenclaw,
Slytherin and Hufflepuff.
We'll see where you belong,
It's really not so tough.
Just put me on, I'll do the rest.
Look inside your mind.
Works best that way,
Puts you with your kind."
The students at tables began cheering wildly; the staff clapped appreciatively until McGonagall called for silence and began calling names out. When all the first years were sorted she addressed the room once more.
"This year we play host to students from Beauxbatons; we trust you will make them feel welcome in all aspects of Hogwarts life. As new students they will, of course, be treated to the same sorting routine as everyone else, so, Dubois, Annalise."
The brunette walked to the stool and waited to be sorted into Slytherin. Ten more students were sorted and then, finally, the last person was called, "Ruris, Tegwen."
A small blonde girl shuffled her way over to the stool, scowling and muttering under her breathe. "Tae, its Tae. Why do they always have to call me Tegwen?"
That is your name, a voice pointed out in her ear making her half-jump and half scowl even more.
"Doesn't mean they have to call me it."
She could swear she heard the voice smile. Easy this one…Gryffindor!
Cheers erupted from said table and Tae made her way over, sitting beside the other two students to be sorted there from her school. For the entire duration of the feast she didn't talk to anyone except those she knew, not because she was shy but because she preferred to sit and watch her new school companions to get a feel for the kinds of people they were.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The Hogwarts students were watching their new French comrades closely but cautiously. So far they had yet to attempt to start a conversation with them; they seemed much too involved in their own conversations to be interested in anything they had to say. They weren't really giving off a good first impression to their hosts.
"How rude of them," Sirius commented to Remus as they dived into the feast before them.
"Who?" Remus asked, an eyebrow raised at the amount of food Sirius was piling onto his plate. They had eaten practically the entire contents of the snack cart and yet here he was still getting more.
"The Frenchies," Sirius said with a jerk of his head in their direction.
"Sirius, you can't call them that!"
"Why not?"
"Because…it's like calling a Muggle-born a 'mudblood'."
"But they're French." This was Peter butting in.
Remus turned to him. "That doesn't mean you can call them Frenchies."
"Actually, I think you can," Sirius said smugly. "They call themselves it."
"No they don't."
"Yes, they do."
"No, they don't."
"Yeah, they do."
"Sirius, they don't," James said, a little tired of the argument.
"Yeah, they do. On the train before one of them said 'nous sommes Frenchies.'"
James snorted into his pumpkin juice, Remus rolled his eyes, Peter looked thoroughly confused.
"Sirius you idiot, they said 'nous sommes Français.'"
Sirius frowned. "What's the difference?"
"Français means French, Frenchies is a completely derogatory term."
"But they're French…"
Remus looked at him in despair. "Never mind, why are they rude?"
"Well, look at them, they're all talking to each other in foreign and not even attempting to get to know any of us. And that hot blonde…I've been trying to catch her eye and she just ignores me."
Remus smirked. "There, there, Sirius. You knew it had to happen eventually."
"What?"
"A girl who refused to fall for your charms."
"Please, we haven't even spoken yet. Give it a week and she'll be eating out of the palm of my hand."
"You're on," Remus said in amusement.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
As Tae and the other French students settled into life in England, the Hogwarts delegation were becoming accustomed with their French counterparts' ways. Unlike Hogwarts there was no extravagant welcoming to the school. Students were told which houses to go to and where to sit for their welcoming meal, which consisted of croissants, baguettes, frogs legs, snails and other typical French foods. It wasn't an unpleasant meal but it was certainly different to what the Hogwarts students were used to. This culture shock wasn't the biggest surprise for Lily, which came in the form of a fellow student taking part in the exchange. Alexandra Fentworth was also in Beauxbatons and suddenly Lily's hope of a new start vanished entirely. For this reason what happened at the welcoming meal that first evening was a complete shock.
"Lily, hey, Lily." Alex called to her across the table.
"What?" Lily responded shortly, true she didn't dislike Alex half as much as Alex disliked her but that didn't mean she was going to be the friendliest of people.
"Well, I was just thinking, we're the only ones here that know what's gone on before so how about we start afresh this year. Let bygones be bygones, that sort of thing."
Lily thought about Alex's words for a few minutes, considered their sincerity, weighing up the possibility of hidden meanings before she smiled brightly. "Sounds good to me."
"Good," Alex smiled back.