Chapter 4: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

When the carriage rolled to a stop, Katherine peeked out.

The pink sunset bled to the intermediate grey that preceded an inky purple night. The stars were faint behind the tips of the tallest stone towers. There were torches outside the entrance, barely lighting the way from the carriage to the front steps. They had arrived at Hogwarts.

Insects hummed from the forest behind them as Giles led the way across the gravel path. The chill of impending night leeched through Katherine's clothes. Faint smoke met Katherine's nose, a gentle plume rising from the chimney of a brick-red cottage down the sloping green lawns. The expanse of the castle's walls masked more and more of the grounds as Katherine stepped closer, following Giles.

The open doors of the castle were prowled by a hunched man with long, wiry hair and a red-eyed cat that seemed awfully suspicious of Katherine and Giles for a feline.

"What are you doing here, Giles?" the man sneered, though visibly undecided between hostility and unease.

Giles was unperturbed and had taken Katherine's elbow again, "Teaching."

"That'll be the day… heard the stories about the likes of you from my cousin…" he muttered after them.

Giles led Katherine through an Entrance Hall filled with more torches. He placed down Belle's carrier with a steadily growing pile of trunks and other pets that sqwarked and meowed quietly. More seemed to appear as Katherine observed the pile, magically transported, it seemed, from the train.

"Argus Filch," Giles nodded back in the direction of the prowling man, "Must have just taken over from his cousin, Apollyon Pringle, as caretaker."

He pointed to a set of double doors.

"The Great Hall; you'll be coming back down to eat in there with the rest of the school after I take you to the Headmaster."

Giles took a right off of the Entrance Hall and a marble staircase loomed ahead.

"That man didn't seem to like you very much." said Katherine, both concerned at what Giles had done to earn such a reception and amused.

Giles' lips twitched, and he hopped from the first step to the third, "His cousin didn't either – watch out for the disappearing step."

Katherine looked down to find that the second step had disappeared and carefully minded the gap as she was towed by her elbow up the stairs to the first landing. Katherine smiled at the absurdity of a disappearing step and loved it privately.

"Come on, we're late," said Giles, tugging on her elbow and taking the right staircase as he checked his pocket watch and then mumbled something about a shortcut.

Giles produced his wand from a holster on his hip and tapped a mirror.

"Dissendium!" he opened the mirror-turned-door and stepped through, "Come through here."

Katherine warily stepped through to a large antechamber of sorts. The stone tapered down into a jagged tunnel that inclined through the very walls of the castle.

The mirror closed behind them, plunging them into darkness.

"Lumos!" Giles' wand tip lit up with a white light, not unlike a torch.

A short journey through the rising stone passage, Katherine stepping carefully on the jagged floor, and they stopped again.

Giles' wand light revealed a circular door that he paused at, blindly reaching for a handle that he found first go. Dust filtered down on their heads from where it budged to reveal a sliver of light. Giles pushed the stone door open enough for them to slip out single file and then closed it again, the tapestry it was propping open falling shut over the passageway's entrance.

And then they were walking again – out of what seemed to be a trophy room – into another hallway. Halfway down the hallway though, Giles stopped – much to Katherine's relief – and turned to an alcove housing a gargoyle statue.

"Sugar Quills."

The gargoyle sprang to life and hopped aside, revealing a staircase. Not pausing, though she would have liked to in her amazement, Katherine followed Giles up the staircase to a short landing. He paused in front of a heavy pair of doors, regarding them with something akin to reverence, before knocking three times.

"Come in." a voice called from the other side.

Giles opened one of the two doors and motioned gallantly for Katherine to step through first.

A circular room met Katherine's eyes, and she was immediately distracted by the whirring of all sorts of silver instruments beneath the glass of cabinets. They were not unlike the instruments she had seen in Dervish and Bangs but looked considerably more valuable than anything found in Diagon Alley.

There were moving portraits covering the walls and plaques beneath them indicating the portraits' subjects were previous Headmaster of the school.

Katherine eyes fell on the current Headmaster; standing from his throne-like chair with kind, twinkling eyes. His beard was so long that it disappeared beneath his desk and merged with his long silvery hair. Beneath all of his hair, were the brightest orange robes Katherine had ever seen.

If Giles had not told her about him, she would not think to take him seriously at all.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir." said Giles, inclining his head respectfully and skirting around Katherine.

"Felix, take a seat…take a seat," said Dumbledore, waving his hand at two wingback chairs opposite his own, his large mahogany desk between. He smiled at Katherine, "Hello, Katherine."

"Hello, Professor." said Katherine, following Giles' lead.

"I'll take it that you have a lot of questions –" Dumbledore began, holding up his hand as Katherine's mouth fell open –"All of which will be answered in due time, Katherine,"

Katherine closed her mouth and nodded, knitting her hands together.

"I take it that Felix has filled you in somewhat..." continued Dumbledore, "But for now, we need to sort you and join the rest of the school at the welcoming feast."

A tattered old hat was gripped in Dumbledore's wrinkled and bejewelled fingers. The only difference between it and any other manky old conical hat was the tear around the brim. And when the hat was lowered onto Katherine's head, slipping down her forehead, the tear became a mouth.

"Mhmmm… not a bad mind…" the hat murmured, "Not bad at all… but where to put you…"

There were four tables running the length of Great Hall. The far left occupied by green-robed students, the next table by blue-robed students, the next with red-robed students, and the far right with yellow. Above them were hundreds – possibly thousands – of candles, drifting under a replica of the night sky unaided.

Knowing she belonged with those in red robes, Katherine began to walk along the Gryffindor table. Lily's red hair was unmissable amongst the crowds of heads that shone gold and copper under the candlelight.

Katherine slowed by the group of girls that were unchanged from the group on the train, and waited for Alice to finish her story about accidentally sending a boy into anaphylactic shock at her family's ice cream shop before she cleared her throat.

"Is it okay if I sit here?"

"I should have known you'd be sorted here – after that run in with Greengrass in Diagon Alley and all..." Lily beamed, pulling her robes closer to her body and clearing a bit of bench.

Before they could say anything further a group of First Years, hurried in by Professor McGonagall, anxiously awaited their own sorting at the front of the hall. McGonagall stood with a scroll by a stool and sought to break the silence with the clearing of her throat.

"Alderidge, Jeffery."

The sorting blurred together after the first two First Year students.

Katherine watched passively, glad for an excuse to not have to speak for a small while.

"Now… to our new students, welcome! To our returning students, welcome back!" Dumbledore greeted as he took to the podium, "Another year of magical education awaits you,"

Dumbledore smiled over the Hall.

"There are some start of term notices;" said Dumbledore, "First of all, I would like you all to welcome Professor Giles to our school. He will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher,"

Polite clapping sounded around the Great Hall, a few whispers breaking out.

"Moving on…Mr Filch would also like me to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is in fact forbidden," Dumbledore continued on, "And without further ado, let the feast begin!"

At his words, the four house tables became flooded with food, the Hall filled with the chatter of students who had not seen each other for a whole summer.

Gold goblets bubbled to the brim with juice and water, glazed turkeys and roast vegetables popped onto extravagant trays in the middle of the table.

"So, Katherine,"

Katherine looked up to find that it was Lily who had spoken, the red-head offering her a small smile as she ladled pumpkin soup into her bowl.

"You could probably do with a rundown of who's who in the school."

Katherine felt a surge of immediate relief and nodded, smiling bashfully.

"Next to Dumbledore…that's McGonagall," Lily pointed briefly, "She's our Head of House and teaches Transfiguration…"

Lily proceeded to help Katherine put names and subjects next to the faces of everyone at the staff table.

The moustached wizard with a gut resting next to his frequently used goblet was named Horace Slughorn and taught potions – also being Slytherin's Head of House. The man next to him had a chair higher than any other, Professor Flitwick, and he taught Charms. And on it went until Katherine knew who each of her teachers were.

And then Lily, with Marlene's constant background commentary, moved on to the students of Hogwarts.

"Best to steer clear of most Slytherins… our rivalry is the stuff of legends, and there are hardly any pleasant ones anyway… Ravenclaws generally keep to themselves, either the top of the class or up in the clouds… Hufflepuffs probably get on with our house the best, they don't care much for house rivalries…"

Lily was looking past Katherine, and Katherine's eyes followed – finding two identical heads of blond hair a few metres on her right.

"And as for our fellow Gryffindors…Head Boy is –"

"Gideon Prewett, yeah." said Katherine, trying to deduce which twin she was actually looking at by searching for the Head Boy pin.

"Do you know him?" Lily asked, inclining her head towards Katherine keenly.

"We met on the platform, he offered to help with my trunk." Katherine left off the fact that he never actually ended up helping her though, relishing in the impressed faces of her new friends.

A particularly loud roar of laughter from the other side of Lily made her take a breath and nod gently behind herself.

"Those are the Gryffindor boys in our year," said Lily, pushing around her torn bits of bread she had dropped into her soup.

"James Potter –"

Lily indicated to the boy Katherine had seen earlier on platform and on the train, the one with messy black hair and glasses. Potter was mid-joke; arms gesticulating widely, the boys around him just wheezing for the punchline as if what he was saying was already the height of hilarity.

"– Sirius Black –"

Lily nodded at the boy on Potter's right next. It was the boy who had tried on Potter's glasses and declared him blind. Sirius Black sat with impeccable posture, an expression of mild amusement on his face. He was not laughing with the reckless abandon of his friends. He turned, shaking his hair back from his face as he did, and perused the Slytherin table disinterestedly, looking very haughty.

"– Remus Lupin –"

Across from Potter and Black was a sandy-haired boy, looking very pale and haggard. A laugh transformed Remus Lupin's weary features at the punchline of Potter's joke, although he tried to smother it, and he ate with renewed vigour.

"– Frank Longbottom –"

Next to Lupin was a boy on the taller side, with dark hair and a large smile, laughing as rambunctiously as Potter and throwing in his own comments which earnt even more laughter from the group.

"– and Peter Pettigrew." Lily finished, indicating a small pudgy boy next to Black.

Peter was looking reverently between Potter and Longbottom with small, watery blue eyes like it was a tennis match.

"Lupin is a Prefect with me, he's alright." said Lily with a shrug, spooning soup carefully into her mouth.

A head emerged from the middle of the table and Katherine jumped in her seat, watching as shoulders came next, and then a torso; all transparent. A ghost, Katherine realised with a start.

No one else was fazed, Frank Longbottom going so far to greet him cheerfully, "Hello, Nick, any luck this year?"

To which the man – who looked as if he had emerged from a renaissance painting – replied resignedly, "My chances are, once again, dismal."

He then floated off calling out to a ghost swooping the Hufflepuff table in a noble charge, "FRI – AAAR!"

Katherine schooled her surprise from her face and attempted to return to eating and conversing like everyone else. Of course ghosts would exist, Katherine thought, ghosts and ghouls, witches and wizards… it all went hand in hand.

Lily was squinting at the two dark-haired boys in their year again.

"Potter and Black," said Lily, snorting softly, "Two halves of a whole idiot,"

She spared the boys a long look.

"And a dangerous idiot, considering that they have more talent than they know what to do with," She looked to Katherine pointedly as she monologued, "They would be alright if they didn't hex people in the hallways just because they can – or because they're bored –"

Anything else Lily had to rant about was lost to Katherine as the boys' conversation reached a loud enough volume to be audible from where Katherine sat. Curious, Katherine listened in as she cut up her sausages.

"Merlin, just looking at Malfoy makes me want to hex things…" said Potter, tearing his eyes from the Slytherin table across the Great Hall and stabbing his steak.

Katherine watched as several things happened at once. Lupin became very interested in his dinner, taking great care in mopping up the last bit of sauce with a piece of bread before chewing it slowly. Black's haughty expression finally vanished, his elbows finding the table as he joined the conversation with undisguisable interest.

"Dad said that something big happened last night in London – bunch of blokes ended up in St Mungo's and he got called in to help brew potions," said Potter, leaning forward and looking either side of himself. He missed Katherine eavesdropping, "I bet he was involved."

"It was just over from Grimmauld," said Black, nodding, "Dementors and everything."

"Wow, that would have been scary – all of those… you know…." said Pettigrew, ducking his head, unwilling to go on. But he didn't need to.

"Oh, yeah –" said Black sarcastically. His expression was deceptively blank as he reached for a buttered roll, "– petrifying."

Lupin looked up from his dinner tiredly, "Sirius."

"Are you going to take points?" Black asked, the corners of his lips quirking and his heavily-lidded eyes blinking slowly.

"You're not going to turn on your friends now, are you, Moony?" said Potter, grinning and slinging an arm around Black's shoulders.

"Dumbledore was very gracious to give me such a position –"

"If he gave it to one of us, we'd be questioning his judgment." said Potter with slow smile.

"There was always Longbottom." said Lupin, sheepishly.

"You're on a first name basis with the librarian, mate." said Black, voice trembling with laughter, his eyes gleaming.

"That's beside the point." said Lupin, his lips curving despite himself as he shook his head.

Black smiled and squinted, "Is it though?"

Lupin shrugged.

"Well, everyone likes Frank."

"Frank would like to thank you for your compliment but insists that you cease talking about him like he isn't a foot away."

The boys, and Katherine, collectively turned their eyes to Frank Longbottom. The boy had just pulled his fork from his lips, mouth full of food, and then smiled – puffing out his cheeks.

Alice Fortescue laughed from beside him, covering her mouth to stop her food falling out.

Potter grinned, "Sorry, Longbottom."

"What's your mate, Snape, doing hanging around with the likes of Avery and Mulciber?"

Marlene's question brought Katherine back to the girls she was sitting with.

Lily shook her head and looked around at the Slytherin table, "Severus doesn't –"

"And look, he's laughing at Greengrass' joke." said Marlene, pointing with her fork again.

The sight of Greengrass, surrounded by other green-robed students who were laughing with her, made Katherine decide that Slytherin must be a bad house if so many of them could enjoy Greengrass' company.

And it was as she was staring at her plate – empty apart from the residual oil – that she witnessed all the food vanish, only to be replaced by puddings.

Lily stretched her neck to get a good look at the scene, "I'm sure that he's just being polite."

Marlene mumbled something into her strudel that sounded like 'not bloody likely' but Lily was too busy trying to surreptitiously watch the Slytherin table to hear.

But what everybody in hall did hear, was a scream.

Katherine, along with everybody else, whipped around, the scream coming from the far-left side of the hall; the Slytherin table.

A scraggly boy had jumped to his feet and had begun to swear profusely.

His fellow Slytherins were giving him a wide berth, pinching their noses closed.

His oily black hair curtained most of his long, pallid face, but what he couldn't hide – even beneath his robes – was a stature much like an overgrown weed.

"Dungbomb!"

"In his stew?"

"There was Bubotuber pus in his goblet too!"

Katherine looked around for the culprits, wondering if his fellow Slytherins were brave enough to be so blasé with all of the teachers at the end of Hall. But it wasn't until she looked back to her own table, that she saw Potter and Black whispering to each other.

"You didn't tell me you were going to hide a dungbomb in his robes."

"Me?" said Potter, with a feigned look of incredulity that his grin pushed through, "What about the Bubotuber pus in his pumpkin juice?"

Black grinned, shaking his hair from his face, "I thought it might take the top coat of oil from his nose – a favour, really."

The hall fell silent and Katherine looked around to find that Dumbledore had taken to the podium.

"I think that is enough excitement for one evening," Dumbledore declared with a smile, "Prefects, please escort the first years back to their common rooms, it is time for a well-deserved kip after such a feast."

The deafening sound of benches scraping as people got up filled the hall.

Panic filled Katherine's limbs despite the definite haze of tiredness pressing on her brow. Her eyes sought Giles at the end of Hall, but he was moving off through a side door with the rest of the faculty. This was where they parted ways, Katherine guessed.

Now on her own, Katherine watched as Lily sought out the sandy-haired Remus Lupin, towering over all of his friends.

"Remus, are you able to take the first years?" Lily asked her fellow Prefect, "I've got to show our new girl back to the Tower."

"Of course, Lily,"

He rose up off of the bench and looked down the table at the first years.

"First years! This way!" he called with a kind, welcoming grin, waving his arm with vigour Katherine did not think him capable of just an hour before. Lupin moved away from the group with a gaggle of First Years in his wake, his friends moving to follow after.

Lily smiled at Katherine, nodding in the direction of the doors, "We'll show you the way back to the Tower."

But before they could leave, James Potter spotted them at the doors – or more specifically, he had spotted Lily.

"Oi, Evans." Potter called with a large grin.

Lily pursed her lips, "Potter."

She went to move past him, Black, and Pettigrew.

"Who's that?" Potter nodded at Katherine and un-crossed his arms from across his chest.

"Katherine." said Lily, not sparing him a glance.

Potter grinned, "Can she speak?"

Potter's eyes fell on Katherine for the first time.

Katherine flushed immediately, "Fluent English."

Nervously, her eyes flittered to the boys flanking Potter. Pettigrew had snorted, but was looking to his friends. Black – the boy who came from the oldest wizarding family in Europe – was just looking at her, his gaze like steel.

Not for the first time, Katherine wished she could read minds.

Potter's smile faltered, his eyebrows raising, "Mermish next, then?"

Lily moved to place a hand on Katherine's arm, avoiding Potter's eyes.

"It's best to not encourage him." Lily told Katherine sarcastically, a hint of smile on her pursed lips.

Potter stretched as his smile returned and leant back against the stone wall, "Are you worried that I'll fall out of love with you or something, Evans?"

"I only hope for it every morning and night." said Lily, turning to go.

Black barked out a laugh, smacking Potter's back in comradery.

"Mate, she just obliterated you," said Black, "Tend to your ego and fight another day."

Katherine couldn't help but laugh, doing her best to smother it.

Black's eyes found her again where she was standing at Lily's side. Something about him seemed so very familiar...

A few rowdy Hufflepuff's had passed between the Fifth Year girls and boys, and Lily hooked her arm through Katherine's to pull her into the stream of students. The girls took Katherine back on, what they claimed, was the easiest route to remember back to Gryffindor Tower, pointing out bathrooms and classrooms as they went.

"Giggle Juice." said Lily to the Fat Lady.

The portrait swung open, Katherine feeling a great sense of belonging as she stepped through to the circular room with her new friends. The roaring fire and stuffed armchairs aided the sense of comfort. The girls all scurried up the steps to their dormitory to escape the multitude of First Years in the common room.

The dormitory was a large circle room, much like the common room, but with five four-poster-beds spaced evenly apart. The girls immediately went to their claimed beds, leaving the bed closest to the door empty. Katherine found her trunk at the foot of the bed decked out in ruby hangings, trimmed with gold, identical to the others.

"We always wondered if there would ever be a fifth…" Alice murmured as her pyjamas – with moving broomsticks on them – disappeared beneath her thick red blankets.

Katherine barely brushed her teeth and pulled on some pyjama-like robes Agatha Tatting had made for her from her trunk before she fell into a deep, and what felt like magical, sleepy state.

Her stomach full, and her eyes finally completely closed for the first time since leaving Claremont, Katherine fell into a dream-filled sleep; safe from faceless enemies.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! :)