The carriage trundled to a stop in front of Hogwarts' courtyard and the girls piled out, the twins jetting off with a quick wave. Mimosa looked back towards the lake, focusing on the pinpricks of light, bobbing in the darkness like a candle's flickering flame. She remembered her boat ride as a fresh-faced eleven-year-old, butterflies bubbling over the walls of her stomach and fluttering from her chest to the very tips of her fingers. She always felt like this the first day back. It was as if once per year she was transported back to her younger self, reliving the same excitement and nervousness as that first feast.
"Hey, Space Case! Quit zoning out and come on, we're gonna miss out on all the good seats."
Marlene's voice pulled her back to the present. "Yeah, I'm coming." As more students abandoned their rides, the crowd swelled and enveloped them, easing them onward to the Great Hall. It was as grand as ever, the vaulted ceiling matching the night's inky blackness, the joyful merriment of the students, the glow of candlelight illuminating impatient and enthusiastic faces. Marlene bid her adieus and parted for the Gryffindor table.
"Mimi!" By the time she had located the voice, her roommate had already thrown her arms around her in a massive bear hug. "Oh my gosh, I missed you."
"Me too, I can't believe it's been all summer."
She released her hold and stepped back, giving her an appraising look. "I don't see any life-threatening injuries, so you better have a darn good reason why I didn't get a single letter.
"Sonny, I'm really sorry. This summer was just... a lot." The intonation of her words got heavy.
"You will tell me everything about your summer, but later. The ceremony is about to start!" She gave a little hop-skip on the way over to the table. "I just can't wait to see who we get. You know how I love first years."
Mimosa nodded. "Don't worry, I remember."
"There's something about how they're all so surprised at everything, it's adorable." She explained, sitting down.
"Living vicariously, are you?"
Sonny rolled her eyes with a smile. "Maybe a little." Giving a glance towards the head table, she pointed with glee. "Look, look, look! They're bringing out the sorting hat."
Indeed they were, and it soon began its strange little ditty and the sorting had started. After a few names, Ashton, Simon became the first Hufflepuff of 1977. Sonny rose from her seat with a war-whoop, clapping simply was not enough to get her exuberance across. The sorting seemed to finish in a flash, Mimosa could have sworn her year had taken almost twice as long.
The murmurs of excitement at the recent additions to the student body died down as Dumbledore stood and prepared to speak. His beard and robes swayed as he rose, and his hands gave a little clap to corral the last few still chatting. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I know you're all hungry, but before the feast begins there's a bit of business to attend to." While his blue eyes still twinkled, some of the playful light from previous years was gone. "After the sudden... retirement of Mr. Burbank, our Defense Against the Dark Arts post will be filled by Ms. Tilly. Now on a darker note, we are at war. Hogwarts is a haven, but outside there are battles daily against Voldemort." A murmur trickled through the gathered students at the mention of his name. "Over the last few years, the political climate has caused heightened tension between houses, which has reached an unacceptable level." He gave a grave look from behind his half-moon glasses. "This year, each school day will begin with an inter-house unity class. Now I've been droning on for long enough. Eat!"
Food blossomed onto platters, yet it was not the same mad scramble that had come to be expected from the first few minutes of the Start of Term Feast. "What the hell is Inter-House Unity class?"
"Beats me." Sonny was trying to not let the headmaster's words affect her as she tucked into a slice of meat pie. "But I think it's overreacting, it's not like kids are fighting the war. I don't even like thinking about it, and I bet most people agree with me."
"Try telling Timothy Greengrass that. Or Lisa Owens, or-"
"I told you I don't wanna think about it!" She said, her utensils clattering against her plate. "What happened to their parents was real sad, but I can't do anything." She went back to eating. They didn't talk much for the rest of dinner.
By the time they arrived at their dormitory, Kathleen was already colour coding her school supplies and the contents of her trunk had been carefully filed away.
"Geez! when did you have time for all that?"
Her eyes gave a quick flick up to Sonny. "Unlike you and the halfwits still stuffing their faces, I believe in proper time management. I simply prioritized preparation over socialization."
The short girl pounced on her with a hug. "Come off it, you know you love us deep down."
Kathleen gave a disgruntled mutter, which only made caused the hugger to latch on tighter as if she could squeeze the love out of her. She had to settle for a cantankerous grumble.
"I'm getting married." The hug battle was forgotten and both heads whipped 'round to gawk at her.
"What?" her two friends' expressions of confusion were identical.
"You can't get married. You haven't even finished school, not to mention a career. And with marriage come responsibilities-"
Sonny could sense a bout of pacing coming on and jumped in. "Who is it?"
"Castor Avery."
"Who the hell is that?" Kathleen was speaking for the both of them in that situation.
Mimosa's face got dark. "Nobody important. Or that you want to know."
Kathleen held up her hand. "Just hold up a minute. In what universe would we, your friends, not want to know who you're marrying?! You're going to be spending the rest of your life with this man and you think he's not important?" Worry clouded her features.
"It's not like I've got a choice. My family, all this stuff about the war scares them, we need protection and the Avery's could promise us that if we were family, their family. The only reason we even got the offer is because Castor is too repulsive to find a less desperate pureblood to marry."
"Pureblood? Oh Mimi, don't tell me your parents are mixed up in that."
She shook her head vigorously. "It's not like that, it's only for protection. Come on, Kat. You know us."
She shot her an uneasy look. "Okay."
Later that night Mimosa lay awake, trying for the life of her to fall asleep. Unlike her sisters, it had never come easy to her. Her mind could never stop mulling over the events of the day, what she had seen, what she had said, what she should have said. In itself it was an exhausting routine, yet she could not fall asleep. She heard a rustle to her left, Sonny's bed.
"Kathleen? You awake?"
"Regrettably."
"D'you really think it's just for protection? Mimi getting married I mean."
There was a pause. "No."
"Why not," She asked.
"Purebloods like them aren't the sort of people one can just acquire something like that from, you have to join them completely. As in be a Death Eater."
"Uh-uh. I know Mr. Santora and he never seemed all evil and stuff. Not like the people who made Maggie leave."
The empty bed on her right seemed to press in on her claustrophobically. It was the second year since she had gone to live with her aunt in America, but it still felt wrong, like she should be there.
"He doesn't have to seem evil, He just has to hate muggleborns, I think the evil comes later with practice."
In the silence that followed that statement Mimosa rolled over, curling into a ball and squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears. Could Kathleen be right? The question would not stop circulating through her head.
"Up and at 'em!" Kathleen pulled the covers from her bed. "The early bird gets the schedule."
Mimosa blearily rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as Sonny received similar treatment.
"No, sleep." Came her groggy murmur.
"Come on," she said with a yawn, "you know Sonny can't form full sentences before eight o'clock."
The tired girl hummed her agreement.
"Stop whining. We have fifty minutes before the first class to dress, eat, and compare classes. Also, Mimi, your showers take forever. Chop-chop!" The blonde was already in her uniform with her hair neatly pinned back, bag over one arm while she scooped stray rolls of parchment with the other. "Now the first breakfast is always sure to be hectic, so this year I planned we split up the missions, divide and conquer. Agreed?" She took the sleepy silence as affirmative and carried on. "Sonny, you locate seats, preferably near friends. Mimosa, you're on breakfast duty. And I'll be braving the mob for schedules."
Eventually after rolling out of bed and some slight bathroom hogging, the trio managed to drag themselves to The Great Hall and split for their respective tasks.
After nabbing three plates of scrambled eggs, one balancing precariously on a forearm, she set out for where Sonny sat near the head of the Hufflepuff table. She had found an opening near Morgan, who raised his hand in greeting to her. "So, where's the third musketeer?"
"Off retrieving timetables. Don't worry, she'll be here."
He gave a faint blush. "Is it that obvious?"
"That you like her?" Sonny questioned. "To everyone except her. But you already know that."
He flushed deeper and let his head hit the table with a groan.
Mimosa caught sight of the willowy blonde. "Speak of the devil."
Kathleen carefully placed the parchment in the center of the table and prepared to unroll hers, while the other two snatched theirs up. "Now for the moment of truth. Unroll in three... two... one..." The teens scanned their timetables.
"So I've got Charms, Defense, Herbology, and Divination today. What about you guys?" The short girl piped up.
"You mean after 'Inter-House Unity, right? It looks as if I have Charms with you."
She pumped her fist. "Yes! What about you, Mimi?"
Mimosa looked over her classes. Inter-House Unity, Care of Magical Creatures, History of Magic, Defense, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration. She read over her friends' timetables. 'Looks like I have Transfiguration with Sonny and History with Kat."
"Kathleen! We have Unity and Transfiguration together!" Morgan couldn't contain his excitement.
"Nice. I should get going though; walk with me?"
With a vigorous nod, he leaped up to follow her like a joyful puppy.
Sonny shook her head as she watched them go. "Those two are so clueless. But Kathleen's right, I better head too, McGonagall's teaching Unity for me and I'm not gonna be 'the late girl' again this year." She popped up with a smile. "Toodle-loo!"
She peered at her schedule again. Inter-House Unity... Ms. Tilly. Hopefully the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be better than the last one. He had simply hidden behind his desk the majority of the time, Kathleen had done more teaching than him.