"First years this way!" Hagrid bellowed.
He was as huge as in the movies, as burly and scruffy and towering. Different, but also the same. Hagrid looked like a big, old, cuddly teddy bear. Fae grinned and made her way over to him, only stopped by James latching onto the sleeves of her robe.
"And where do you think you're going? You're not a first year," James teased.
Fae shrugged and tugged her sleeve out of his grip. "True, but it is my first year here. And besides, I want the full experience. Don't you think?" Because she thought so, and she was sure as hell getting the full experience.
"But-"
"I think James just wanted to be with you when you go into Hogwarts for the first time," Remus said.
Oh. Oh. James was blushing and denying it while Sirius teased him, but that was definitely it. And then Fae thought of an idea. "Then get out the cloak and come with me, by all means," she said with a mischievous smile.
James absolutely beamed and that was how she found herself giggling madly to herself while waiting for the first years to get in the boats. James was at her right shoulder and offering quiet commentary while they waited for the emptiest boat they could find. The ride itself was smooth for the most part. It 'mysteriously' rocked precariously a few times, scaring the two first years also in the boat and Fae elbowed her brother, assuring them it was fine.
Disembarking and walking up the castle steps was breathtaking. She could smell the stone and the water and marveled at the sheer enormous size of the building, the beauty of the architecture, the brightness of the lights shining from every window.
"Incredible," she said. James took her hand and led her forward, making sure she kept up with the rest of the first years. They were stopped on a large set of stairs on the way in, by the one, the only, Professor Minerva McGonagall.
"Woah," Fae breathed.
The Most Badass and Coolest Professor herself gave Fae a curious and searching look before addressing the pack of students.
"Oop! Gotta run, I'll see you in the grand hall!" James whispered. Fae nodded slightly at him, gave his hand a squeeze, and let go.
"First years follow me. In a few minutes you will be sorted," McGonagall said, short and to the point. They walked down a hallway or two and paused at another staircase.
There was waiting and the buzzing of students, all of them talking about the boats or the castle or about what houses they were to be sorted in. It was kind of an electric atmosphere and Fae basked in it, looking high and wide at the marvelous interior of Hogwarts. It was more decorated and ornate than she'd thought.
She was startled out of her thoughts when Professor McGonagall returned. "We're ready for you now. This way," she said, gesturing for the students to enter single file through a door. Fae followed and then was stopped by the austere professor.
"Ah, Ms. Potter," she said. Fae resisted the urge to freak out because Minerva McGonagall knew who she was. The witch continued, "As you are not a first year, you will be sorted last."
Fae nodded and shrugged. Best for last. "Alright then."
Good Gods the Sorting took the longest fucking time. Sure, she'd paid attention for the first five or ten or fifteen kids, but then it just got tedious. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Slytherin, and on and on. She laughed a bit when she saw James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter sitting at the Gryffindor table and warding the new first years away from sitting in the seat directly next to James.
After that, her mind wandered. It was surreal, being here and really seeing it from all angles and all the views instead of just a movie screen. Her memory had probably already blurred plenty, but it just left her feeling overall like it was familiar and not at the same time. Somewhere in a grey area of both and neither. And yeah, there were so many more students than she thought. There had been that theory in Harry Potter-verse about how his class had been born during the war and thus was exceptionally small. It was startling, how true that appeared to be. And rather annoying. This was taking forever. Her stomach was beginning to growl fiercely. So lost in her thoughts and daydreams of the feast, she almost missed Dumbledore himself stepping up to the podium to speak again, and introduce her.
"And now, we have a transfer student joining us as a fourth year. Ms. Fae Potter," he said. Fae took that as her cue to walk out and the entire hall erupted into whispers. It was a little extra, but she supposed she had to be glad that she wouldn't get mistaken for a first year. Lord knows she was short enough for it. She gave a wave to her brother and friends in the crowd and then took a seat.
Finally it was her turn. And then food. She could smell it even if she couldn't see it and her stomach was rumbling like mad. The hat was placed onto her head.
"Hmph! A strange one. Your mind is not what it seems," he said. He was right, to be fair. She was, what, 23? 24? In her mind. Or had been. The whole memory-fade thing and the whole magic of being dropped in a fictional world was a little screwy. Sometimes she wondered if, as time went on, the reason her memories were fading was to adjust her mind to the age she truly was. It was a frightening thought.
"Wise and thoughtful, perhaps Ravenclaw then?" he suggested. Another thoughtful beat. And then, "But there is cunning and ambition too."
The hat muttered some more and then said, "And quite a courageous, relentless streak, yes?"
Fae resisted the urge to face-palm and groan. God she was so hungry and it was so awkward sitting up here with everybody staring at her and trying not to accidentally stare back at someone specifically. She fixed her gaze on the doors at the entrance of the hall, smiled, waited, and hoped she didn't look touched in the head, all blank-eyed and lax.
After a few really long minutes, Fae rolled her eyes up and whispered harshly to the hat. "Oh just get on with it and have it done, you manky thing!"
"Not a patient one I see."
"Not when I'm starving." Of course. Of course she just had to be a hatstall. Ugh.
"Good things come to those who wait," he said mysteriously.
"Oh, fuck it," Fae muttered and then reached into her pocket for the chocolate bar Remus had given her. It was a little gift for her first day, but she seriously couldn't wait another second, her stomach felt like it was eating itself inside out. She'd just have a few bites and save the rest for her first day. It pissed her off that she had to be using Remus' gift like this, but well. Gotta do what you gotta do.
Not bothering to be subtle, Fae pulled the bar out of her pocket and noisily tore the foil open. She took a big bite, hummed happily, and let the flavor melt on her tongue. Then she took another big bite.
"Hufflepuff!" the Sorting Hat called.
She could hear Sirius dying of laughter and sent her brother a sheepish smile. Remus had his face buried in his hands, Peter looked absolutely bewildered, and her brother looked comically devastated. With a what-can-you-do shrug, Fae launched herself off the stool and made her way to the Hufflepuff table which was, amazingly, cheering quite loudly for her. They seemed like a welcoming bunch. At least six people introduced themselves at once as Fae sat down and she was grateful for Dumbledore calling attention once more, finally finishing the ceremony and allowing the table to erupt with food. Fae dug in face first.
After her first three plate fulls, she was able to slow down to a more sedate, socially acceptable pace. Her fellow Hufflepuffs looked a little horrified at how much she could eat, but she figured they better get used to it. Small talk floated around, exchanging of names, asking if she was related to James, asking where she was before here. It was friendly and easy and the pudding was completely delicious. Oh, she could get used to eating like this every night. Towards the end of the feast, Fae snuck off to the Gryffindor table, taking what might've been her rightful seat beside James.
"Hey Jay, hanging in there alright?" she asked, setting an arm around his hunched shoulders.
"Alright. It's a shame is all, Gryffindor will be less without you," he said mellowly. A glance at their friends confirmed her suspicions that they'd already managed his emotional breakdown and taken care of him. They had such good friends.
Remus smiled at her encouragingly. "And Hufflepuff has gained an excellent student."
"We'll still be around and hang out all the time," Peter promised, looking slightly bummed out himself. Fae grinned, glad they would still try and make time for her, being in different years and houses.
"Of course! You guys are like fleas. Impossible to shake at this point."
They talked a bit more before it looked like the prefects were beginning to corral their students. She gave quick hugs to the Marauders. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, good night," she said.
For James, she gave him an extra tight and long hug. In all of this, she'd been worried about him, but truth be told, she wasn't all that eager to be apart from him either. "You guys look after my brother alright?"
James bristled and gave her a noogie. "Hey! Who's the older sibling here?"
The Hufflepuff dorms and common room were in the basement of the castle, but not so low that there weren't windows which was a relief. It was cool and breezy and level with the rolling hills heading to the forest. Perfect. The common room itself was warm and overflowing with couches, plush armchairs, bean bags, pillows, and blankets with the occasional table for conversation or studying. A fire blazed in the middle of the back wall, bracketed by shelving with books, games, and assorted baubles. Beyond the bookshelves were the stairs up the respective gendered bedrooms.
Common conception was that there were five students to a room, all in the same year. Reality was that sometimes the numbers didn't even out and years got wonky. Fae would be sharing an 'overflow' room with three other girls, one who was a year older, one who was two years younger, and one that was also in her year.
The fifth year, Marley DeSantis, introduced herself first and then introduced Fae to the other girls in the room. She was an energetic, type-a, driven kind of girl and Fae was happy to follow her lead for now.
"I'm Marley, I'm a year above. That's Ellorie Majors, a second year," she said, pointing to a girl that was about Fae's size, but a little curvier around the waist and chest. She had a kind expression, big blue eyes, and short, chin-length, fluffy brown hair. Ellorie gave her a friendly wave and refocused on unpacking her stuff.
"And that's Eleanor Rigby," Marley said, gesturing to the third girl in the room who was already lounging on her bed, reading something. Fae's first thought was, you can't be serious. Eleanor Rigby? How cool! The girl, although reclined, was noticeably tall. She had fair skin liberally covered in freckles and long fingers just poking out of her sleeves with the nails chewed and flecking black paint. Her hair was wildly curly, dirty blonde, and hanging around her shoulders with a deep part in the right side, although she still had thick bangs flopped over her eyes. Her eyes, when she looked up and squinted at Fae with a bored gaze, were nice and blue.
"Mm," she grunted and returned to her book.
Marley continued talking for a bit, asking about her brother and his friends and offering her help getting used to the school and all those useless, fluff bits. As Marley talked, Eleanor grabbed her wand and closed the curtains on her four-poster. Marley rolled her eyes and whispered to Fae.
"Don't mind her. She's a bit of a bitch."
Frowning, Fae shrugged, thanked Marley for her attention, and then turned away to unpack her things. She followed Eleanor's example after that, spelling the curtains closed, conjuring a few balls of light to float in her little enclosed space, and settling down with her notebooks to do that day's journal entry. In her sealed off bed, surrounded by fluff and blankets and magic, Fae relaxed. The exhaustion and the food coma set in, and she fell asleep with all her notebooks scattered around her.
The room was dark when she woke, only a small haze from the window she noticed as she poked her head out from the curtains. The air was chilly and refreshing. With a grin, Fae quietly got out of bed, easily navigated in the dark, dressed in her comfiest t-shirt, shorts, and bright pink leg warmers, and then left the room. She grinned at the smell of maple and bacon by the door leading out of the common rooms.
James was waiting for her in the hallway, arms opening for her hug immediately. "I've got the perfect route for you," he said. "Come on!"
Fae had truly gotten so lucky. They ran off, quietly giggling with the thrill of being awake when nobody else was. His perfect route was out the nearest doorway, following a few worn and winding paths around the great stone building, and eventually circling around the quidditch field. Turns out, it was a good mile around the thing which was perfect. It was also magnificent. And, far enough away from the castle that they could talk normally. James was a mile a minute, thinking about time tables and how they could run every day and every night together except for when Quidditch started and did you sleep well last night and etc. The usual James Potter go. The good thing was that Fae had long gotten used to his inane chatter and he'd long gotten used to the fact that she only answered about 20% of the time.
Excited to see her timetable and make plans for when they could meet between classes and whatever nonsense, James appeared at the Hufflepuff table, shamelessly sitting himself next to her and going over everything. Charming in his boyish ways, James talked to the other Hufflepuff's with ease when they said hi to him, asked what he was doing there, commented that they had the same class as Fae, etc. Marley was quick to introduce herself as Fae's roommate, but in James' year, and happy to look after your little sister. Fae had a feeling she was going to get a lot of girls trying to be nice to her for James' sake. It was a good thing she could smell bullshit, play nice, and take advantage of their 'kindness' when it suited her.
The other Marauder's had appeared shortly after, glancing warily at the Hufflepuff table before shrugging and sitting down. Peter suggested the tastiest pastries on the table for her and handily had a scarf to wrap one up to take along - lunch was a long way from now. Fae was extremely grateful for that. That and Sirius's warning to sit in the back of Binns' class. History of Magic was the first class of the day and it was awful to start her week off, but if played right, she could use it for catching up homework and planning out her week so it suited her well enough. Remus, sweet Remus, handed her another chocolate bar, this time with a little note taped to the back.
"Read it when you get bored," he said with a sneaky wink.
Hogwarts, like every other school in existence, started the school year with a day dedicated to the curriculum. In fact, the first half of the week was for curriculum, being that she didn't return to History of Magic again until Thursday and didn't even go to half of her classes until tomorrow. It seemed to be an A/B or Even/Odd schedule with a few classes extending to Fridays or only taking place on Fridays, like Foreign Studies. Or Astronomy, which took place only on Tuesday nights. She'd have to check and see if it didn't line up with a full moon. Overall, it reminded her so much of high school, with a little more freedom that reminded her of college. She could work with this.
Wednesdays were her busiest days. Mondays and Wednesdays were History, Transfiguration, and Charms, with Care of Magical Creatures stacked on top on Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays were for DADA, Potions, Herbology, and Divination. DADA had a third slot on Friday as well, which was when she had Foreign Studies.
The Marauders were there at lunch again, although other than a quick stop and asking how her day was going, the boys sat at Gryffindor and she stayed at Hufflepuff. James went in for a more interrogational and lengthy conversation at the end of the day. He met her outside of Charms, already ready to go running again. She changed quickly and they took the same route, doing the 5K around the quidditch stadium and then a few more laps for good measure. James wanted to know every detail and Fae mostly just wanted to run off her residual nerves. She hadn't had a day so structured and busy in a while. It was nice.
At night, she remembered her treat and note from Remus. Ripping it open, she dug into the chocolate happily and laughed at his little joke.
What do you call a sleeping werewolf?
An un'aware'wolf.
Hope your day is going brilliantly. Can't wait to hear all about it from you. And then again from James, a few hours later.
Remus
Fae quickly wrote a little note herself and folded it up, planning to sneak it into his bag the next day. Then, thinking better, she wrote some notes for the others too.
The days passed quickly after that. First few days of school always did, and Fae was eager to get into the routine and have the strangeness fade. The strangeness and newness and unsettledness lingered longer though, and she had a strong idea why. It was nice not having to sit alone, but half of the time, the girls sitting with her only wanted to talk about the Marauders. The other half of the time, thankfully, was just regular old small talk and decent conversation about classwork which could be helpful sometimes.
At the same time, it put Fae on edge. She was absolutely not used to being around people so much and certainly not so many. The wild-haired girl had never in her life been the type to talk and joke during classes. If she wasn't paying attention, it was because she was off in her own world and not anybody else's. In fact, she much preferred daydreaming and thinking to herself in general and she was not getting much of a chance to do that with all these kids around her all the time. Hogwarts was great and it was feeling like home quickly, but she missed her quiet house and the welcoming woods.
That being said, after Care of Magical Creatures class ended her day on Wednesday, she wandered off to the hut she was pretty sure belonged to Hagrid. She found him easy enough, fussing with his pumpkin patch.
"Hi! You're the groundskeeper, Hagrid right?"
The half-giant turned around to greet her, only a little startled by her sneaking up on him. "At your service! How can I help you, little lady?"
"I'm Fae Potter. Umm. Has Dumbledore.. told you about me?" she asked quietly. She was pretty sure all of the staff were made aware of her nature, and Remus' for that matter. It would make things a heck of a lot easier, that was for sure.
Hagrid looked confused for a second, but then nodded enthusiastically. "Ooh.. Oh! Yes. He has," he said.
Brilliant. Fae smiled up at him. Way up at him. "Good then. I was hoping you might be able to help me out with the Forbidden Forest?" she requested as casually and sweetly as she could.
His thick eyebrows disappeared into his bushy hair. "The Forbidden Forest?" he parroted. It was that tone of surprise that always made Fae want to roll her eyes. She refrained.
The girl turned up the brightness of her smile and laced her hands demurely before her. "Yes. I like to run a lot and the closer I am to nature, the better health I am, you could say," she explained. "Especially close to the moon," she added in a hushed voice. There weren't any students around, but you really never could be sure at a magical school full of teenagers.
He 'oh-d' and nodded in understanding again. She continued. "I ran a lot in the woods at home and never really had trouble with the local creatures. As I understand, the Forbidden Forest has a bit more to consider in it and I didn't think it would be wise to go wandering without some guidance first."
Hagrid thought for a minute and blinked at her, as if he hadn't really heard her. Then her request registered and he grinned broadly. She knew he'd help anyone who genuinely wanted to learn about the forest and it's creatures. "I see! Well you've come to the right person. I'll tell you everything you need to know and we'll get you sorted out, Ms. Fae."
"Thank you, I appreciate it."
They had tea in his hut while he gave her a rather long and enthusiastic summary of the creatures she was likely to see and then some of the more dangerous ones she should definitely avoid, werewolf or not. Fae listened attentively and gratefully, spurred on by Hagrid's excitement and subsequently excited herself to see them. They sounded amazing and she wondered what luck she'd actually have in seeing a Gryffin or a Bowtruckle. She'd probably die if she saw a Niffler. Suddenly, she was regretful she didn't buy or bring a camera. Maybe Peter would let her borrow one, or she could get one in Hogsmeade.
James and Sirius found her there, apparently closer to dark than she realized. Thanking Hagrid for his hospitality, she agreed to meet him for a tour of the forest after class ended Friday, and then followed her brother and Sirius back up to the school, practically skipping.
"What's got you so happy?"
"Hagrid's going to show me the safe areas of the Forbidden Forest so I can go running in there!"
"Sorry, which areas in what now?"
James protested all the way to dinner, joined her at Hufflepuff, and then dragged her off to the Gryffindor common room so he could keep arguing why it wasn't safe. Fae maintained a much more interesting conversation with Remus about the library. She hadn't been yet, still adjusting and figuring out her running and class routes and studying and talking to everybody and hanging out with James. Remus rolled his eyes and promised to take her there the following night. Fae was thrilled.
What with James so casually sitting at Hufflepuff and everybody seeming pretty relaxed with her spending most of her free time with Gryffindor's most infamous students, Fae figured interhouse relations were lax in this time. When every Gryffindor stared blatantly at her in horror and shock as she entered the common room, she thought maybe not.
"What is she doing here?"
"She's my sister and will go wherever she damn pleases."
"She's a Hufflepuff, she's not supposed to be in here!"
"Better get used to it, she'll be here often and if you have a problem with it, you can fight me," James challenged.
Fae settled down on the couch with Sirius and Remus, eager to watch them play a game of Wizard's Chess. Remus usually beat Sirius, but sometimes Sirius pulled out a win. They both always lost to Fleamont, though. Meanwhile, Peter was holding James back and attempting to calm him down. Fae rolled her eyes, laughed, and grinned charmingly at the Gryffindor students still staring. James had put it best - she could go wherever she damn well pleased. House divisions weren't going to stop her.
Come Saturday, Fae was awake long before dawn, body vibrating with excitement and ready to go. When she got to the common room, there was that familiar smell of bacon and maple. Seriously? What, did her brother sleep in the hallway under the invisibility cloak? Rolling her eyes, she turned tail, went back into her room, opened the window, and hopped out, dropping five feet onto the ground. The second her feet touched the ground, she took off running.
Gods, she had needed this. Fae made it to the Forbidden Forest in mere moments and followed all the pathways and winding rocks that Hagrid had shown her the evening before. It was completely brilliant and Fae breathed deeply as she sprinted, dodged, ducked, flew through the trees. It was only then that she realized how much she'd been suppressing her enhanced senses inside the school. But out here? No people, no stone walls, no dusty paintings, just fresh air, trees, dirt. It was absolutely glorious.
After a good hour of sprinting and burning off her energy, the thrill subsided. The joy didn't, however, and the sheer freedom of being removed from society. So Fae wandered around, taking careful steps and hoping she'd found some cool creatures. She didn't, but she found some gorgeous flowered clearings, a really tall and gnarly tree, and plenty other curiosities.
When the sun had risen almost all the way in the sky, she made her way back, practically skipping. Deciding Hagrid was owed a big thanks and a bigger hug, she went in the direction of his hut. On the edge of the woods, she caught the familiar smells and sounds, and then laughed. James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus were waiting for her just outside Hagrid's hut, talking with the half-giant himself.
Peter saw her first, lighting up and waving wildly.
"There she is - I told you she'd be hungry by now," he said smugly.
"Hey guys!" Fae called as she ran over to them. Then she turned to Hagrid and gave him a big hug. "Thank you so much! It was absolutely lovely," she told him.
He clapped her on the back a few times and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Awh, s'nothing. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." And then he left, having some tending to do for the razorwhip growing out of the greenhouses and into the courtyards, and wished them a good day.
"Fae! How could you? You deliberately disobeyed me," James said, crossing his arms and doing his best to channel Euphemia.
Fae rolled her eyes and gave him a nuzzle on the cheek in greeting and affection. "Sorry James. I just needed some time away from people. Amazing as Hogwarts is, I was going crazy cooped up in there."
"Well in that case, we'll excuse ourselves," Sirius teased, backing away jokingly. "We'll leave you to the forest, miss I-don't-want-company."
Fae whipped out her wand and stuck his feet to the ground. Good ol' Sirius, he almost always fell for that one. "Not so fast, mister. Is that a picnic basket I see?" she asked, sniffing the air.
"It might be. But you only get the food if we get to spend some time with you too," Remus said.
Fae grinned. She couldn't think of anything better. "Sounds perfect."
The five teens laid out a blanket and settled down to start munching on an impressive feast of sandwiches, biscuits, and fruit.
"So tell us about your first week!" Sirius said.
Fae snickered. "You say that like each of you weren't there for most of it or didn't see me every few hours," she pointed out.
Lunch was amazing and Fae nearly cried a bit when the Marauders decided they would reveal to her, and let her borrow, the Marauders Map. Just for a few weeks so she could get used to the castle and all the secret passageways. She tackled each of them. And then demanded all the details about how this magnificent item came to be.
On the way back up to the castle, Remus hung back and talked to Fae alone. "Is it overwhelming? All the people and new smells and sights?" he asked.
Knowing he knew very well that it was, Fae just gave him a look.
He laughed and nodded. "Come with me then, I want to show you something," he said. Fae beamed and nodded enthusiastically. With a sneaky look, they slowed their walk and then darted off through a set of stone alcoves, ducking down before James, Sirius, and Peter even realized they were gone.
Remus led Fae to the library. It was curious, he'd been true to his word and showed her on Thursday night, leading her to the preferred Marauder's table and showing her how to find all the books and telling her how not to piss off Ms. Pince, the librarian. What else could he show her?
"This is the most magnificent thing I've ever seen," Fae said, a few moments later.
Apparently, whenever Remus needed time to himself, he came here. 'Here' being an alcove set deep into the wall with a small, ornate window near the very back of the library. It was about 8 feet up from the ground and thus easily missed because of it's height. That, and Remus had cast a glamour to make it appear as if the ledge and window were only inset about a half a foot rather than two feet. He reset the glamour often to keep it from being discovered and Fae felt extremely honored that he would show it to her. Remus had a ladder nearby to help him get up there, but impatient Fae took a running jump, launched off a stool, and latched onto the ledge. She heaved herself up easily and rolled onto a rather fabulous pile of blankets and pillows, all reeking of vanilla, books, and fresh laundry. Then she peered over the edge at Remus' incredulous face and offered him a hand. Tall he may be, but also very skinny and light enough to help haul him up to the edge and over.
The cozy little space was two feet deep, about three feet long, and maybe 2 and a half feet tall. Basically, not nearly big enough for two people. Fae didn't mind though, and after some adjusting and squishing up the blankets out of the way, the dark-haired girl found her pressed close into Remus' side. He had slouched back low against a pillow and his legs were propped up against the opposite wall, hands steepled across his stomach. She had turned into him, knees underneath his thighs, arms around his shoulders, and leaning her head over his in a comfy snuggle. Fae was a touchy person and although Remus wasn't by any means, he always seemed comfortable with her. She figured it was a werewolf thing.
They talked for a while, laughing at some of Remus' funnier past experiences struggling with his lycanthropy whilst being surrounded by other people constantly. He found it particularly funny when the others went looking for him with the map, saw his name, and could never figure out where he was in here. He'd watched them circle around for hours once, before getting kicked out by Madam Pince of course. They swapped tips too. He knew that come the full moon, her sense of smell would get particularly keen, worse even for her since she'd trained it, and herbology and potions classes would be unbearable. The trick, he said, was to dab some vanilla extract on the inner wrists and behind the ears. Reapply every hour or two and it does the trick pretty well.
On Monday, it was back to classes. The coursework was easy enough and the lectures were pretty great. She was feeling pretty steady, so she decided it was time to shake things up. Especially when she watched a fellow Hufflepuff being bullied by a Gryffindor. The boy was pulling pigtails, literally. When he stood to give an answer a few moments later, Fae cast a quiet Confundus, and reveled in the class's laughter as he sat back down on air. Oh yeah, Hogwarts was going to be tons of fun.
On Tuesday night, Fae claimed the biggest, fattest, comfiest armchair in the Hufflepuff common room. She set up with her homework, her textbooks, her notebooks, and her cassette player because she just couldn't study or do anything without music any more. In truth, she'd claimed the chair since her second night there. It was coveted by many of the Hufflepuffs, and Fae was determined to claim it. She was also determined to stay awake for Astronomy. The excitement of going to the class had kept her awake last week, but she knew this week would be a bit of a challenge. Apparently, portable cassette players combined with the charging charm Sirius had taught her was an extremely rare occurrence. Fae was extremely pleased that nobody had any objections to her playing music and in fact, requested to look through her tapes and play certain songs. Seeing an opportunity, Fae offered up the cassette player and a good chunk of the tapes as public use. Everybody in Hufflepuff loved her after that, and the armchair was always hers when she wanted it.
"Oh yeah, happy to share. Just as long as we're clear that I will painfully eviscerate anybody who breaks it, especially if they don't own up to it. I will find you, and I will make you hurt," Fae had said with a toothy smile. Most of her housemates laughed, but the laughter of the older students was more strained and concerned. As it should be.
On Wednesday morning, James slept in and after her run, Fae took the opportunity to have some fun. Remus and Peter showed up in the common room first, took one look at her lounging on the couch, and laughed so hard that Peter doubled over. It drew the attention of the other inhabitants of Gryffindor, which had them laughing and giggling as well. Sirius was next, and his bellowing, contagious laugh finally had James coming down the stairs.
"What's going o- Fae?"
"Morning Jay!"
"...is that my old uniform?" he asked, mouth going all wiggly.
It was, in fact, his old uniform, complete with her hair pulled up in a messy bun and a pair of his old frames perched on her nose. "Yup," she said, and proceeded to wear the Gryffindor boys uniform all day. McGonagall pinched the bridge of her nose, but other than changing the color to Hufflepuff, there was nothing she could do about a girl wearing trousers. No rules for it, surprisingly.
Wearing the Gryffindor boys uniform drew everybody's attention that day. In particular, a set of twins in her year in Slytherin. Brock and Brandon Klein. They were olive skinned with tight, curly black hair and the austere air of a family with money. They also left their shirttails out, loosened their ties considerably, and had this habit of watching people deviously, heads bent together as if they were planning something. That Wednesday, they decided the weird Hufflepuff girl was the perfect target.
It was in charms, practicing a more precise and advanced use of Wingardium Leviosa, which Fae was old hat at. She'd had her textbook spread out on her desk to appear as if she'd been paying attention. Under it, she'd had her transfiguration book slightly hidden so she could get started on the homework. Then, of course, there was her homework, her notebook, her planner, her pens, a note from James, and her bag.
She had turned her back for five minutes, helping one of her classmates flick her wrist just so to get the airplane to do a loop-de-loop. When she turned back, her desk was completely empty. Baffled to high hell, Fae spun around, looked back at her desk, looked to the nearby desks, spun around again, and then crouched over to see under the desk. As soon as she was close, all of her belongings slammed down onto the table with a loud bang. Fae shrieked and fell back on her ass. She stared wide-eyed at the mess of her stuff on the table - which had been floating high above it. Then she heard the two Slytherin boys snickering off to the side. She caught sight of them laughing and then started laughing herself as her heart rate slowed back down. That had been a pretty good one, she'd have to try it herself on Peter or her brother.
"What's the meaning of this?" Professor Flitwick asked angrily.
Fae chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. "Got a little in over my head. Apologies Professor," she joked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brandon and Brock give each other confused looks. They must've expected her to rat on them or be upset. She just smirked.
Class finished up with one more smaller lecture, going over common mistakes made during the practical session, and then assigning homework. During that, she had used yet another spell she was extremely comfortable with, slowly edging the twins' bookbags away from their desks. The bell rang and they raced for the door. Fae grinned, collected their bags, and called after them.
"Oi! Brock! Brandon! Forgetting something," she said, holding up their bags. The twins shared a look and then frowned, stalking over to her and towering over her small form. Meaning to be intimidating, they snatched their bags back and the second they did, Fae released the activation on another spell, charming the bags to be about ten times as heavy suddenly. The boys dropped to the floor under the weight and she laughed.
"You're welcome! I'll see you guys in potions tomorrow!"
In potions, the Klein twins snuck some spinnelweed into her cauldron, causing an impressive mushroom cloud that dyed her eyebrows purple. Fae charmed a few purple streaks into her hair to match, and then charmed their pumpkin juice later to turn their tongues bright, neon green. They laughed at each other and gave her respectful, haughty nods from across the great hall. Fae shot back a wink and a toothy grin. Most of the Slytherins in their year at least acknowledged her after that and the prank war with the Kleins continued on.
Fae talked to everybody. The color of uniform, or skin for that matter, didn't bother her in the slightest, nor did the strange looks. She wasn't great at social cues and had no clue for sure what everybody thought of her, but she had a feeling it was something like 'the strange, friendly, tricksy girl' which was fair enough and better than 'Little Potter'. She wanted to live up to her name after all.
Surprisingly, the Ravenclaws were the hardest group to infiltrate. They kept to themselves more than the Slytherins did and it was tricky because Fae didn't share classes with them, other than the few that appeared in Divination, Foreign Studies, and Care of Magical Creatures. There were, however, plenty in the library. For the most part, they ignored Fae in the first two weeks, even when she was wearing James' uniform. What they did notice was that Fae was respectful to Madam Pince. They noticed that Fae was quiet and good with a silencing charm if her brother or Sirius were around and got wordy. They noticed that Fae sat at the Marauder's table, but never left her books out for someone else to put away. They noticed that Fae actually liked to read things that had nothing to do with homework. They also noticed that Fae had a few books of her own, rare ones of interest. By the end of her second week, some of the Ravenclaws were more prone to giving her smiles and nods as she passed by, occasionally reaching a book for her when she was too short, and offering help on finding something once or twice. It was slow, but it was progress.
The first time around at this age, Fae had been so self-conscious of everybody around her and of herself. This time, she'd never felt so at ease in her skin. The eyes of her peers still left her edgy and nervy and a little too observant sometimes, but the change was still clear. School was a hell of a lot more fun when you didn't give a fuck about anything except being yourself, learning what you wanted to learn, and enjoying yourself.
On the weekend, she went to the forest again, escaping society for a bit. The Marauders were waiting again for her after with a picnic basket. On Sunday, she introduced Spoons to Hufflepuff house and then to Gryffindor house later on. If she had to answer, the Hufflepuffs were way better and much more ruthless. A proper game of Spoons included hiding the spoons and not only were Hufflepuffs good at finding things, but they played dirty in order to do so. On the other hand, Sirius had almost pushed Peter into the fireplace and James had literally torn apart the couch cushions.
When Monday at Hogwarts came for the third time, Fae felt completely at home, at ease, and excited to experience new things and maybe make some actual friends. The Klein brothers were fun for prank wars, but had yet to actually talk to her. Marley had flitted off when she ended up in a relationship with a handsome Ravenclaw boy on the quidditch team. Fae talked fairly often with two of her fellow Hufflepuffs, Austin Matthers and Nelly Smith, who were as much of fans of music and coffee as she was. However, they weren't close friends by any means as much as people she sat regularly with in class and at meal times, provided the Marauders weren't butting in of course. Marjorie Weiss, the librarian's assistant and a fifth year Ravenclaw, was really nice too. They talked occasionally, both in the library and in the halls in passing, usually about book recommendations and the sloppy habits of some of the students.
Fae was used to that kind of thing - lots of friends, but not really close to anybody. Well, there was Remus. She was definitely extremely close to Remus and of her brother and their mutual friends, only Remus kept trading notes during the days with her. Although, to be fair, Peter sent her the occasional drawing or funny picture. He was actually a pretty talented photographer. The bottom line, though, was that she was hoping to find a close friend. One that she spent a lot of time with and could get along with, in silence and in vibrant energy. That would have to wait a bit, she realized, as she planned for the full moon coming that Saturday. It would be the first full moon she spent with Remus and she could hardly contain herself.
A/N: Happy HUMP day! Go get humped. Or hump someone. Or wear a hump, Halloween style. I don't care, I just want the week to be over.