"Professor Dumbledore, thank you for such kind words of welcome," Umbridge crooned sweetly, "I am looking forward to teaching here in this school, where I myself learned the basic foundations of magic. As a teacher in this school, I will have the same expectations, the same rules, but I also am here to help you if you may need it. If you need, a friend, you are more than welcome to stop by me office." She continued her speech, but the boys were not listening.
"What does she think she's doing? Interrupting Dumbledore!" Sirius whispered furiously.
"I know. Do we really have to listen to her? She'll take over the bloody school!" James responded.
"And the whole 'I will be your friend' thing sounds really fake," Sirius continued. "I mean, hello? You do not run this school!"
"I get it, but shouldn't we be listening?" Remus asked them, ever the goodie goodie.
"No one else is," Peter pointed out. Very few students were actually listening at this point. Many groups were whispering to each other and the hall was filled with the sound of many people talking at the same time, very quietly. Professor Umbridge, however, was unfazed. She continued to talk above the din.
"Here at Hogwarts, it has always been a goal to educate the next generation of witches and wizards. I am honored to continue this tradition." Professor Dumbledore started to clap, rather politely, while the rest of the hall regained their senses. Quite crisply, the rest of the hall followed suit, stopping shortly after they had begun.
"And now," Dumbledore stated, "The feast."
The plates on the tables magically filled with all sorts of food, from the shepherd's pie to treacle tart. "Finally," Peter said, heaping chicken legs onto his plate, "I'm starving."
"You're always starving," James grinned, taking a heap of mashed potatoes. Peter shrugged, now helping himself to some corn.
"Know what I'm excited to see?" Sirius asked.
"Hm," James responded, mouth full of food.
Sirius continued, "I want to see what her classes are like. I wonder if she'll make us have tea parties at the 5:00 lessons." Remus rolled his eyes.
"Sirius she's a new teacher, just give her a chance…." he told Sirius.
"A new teacher that looks like a poisonous dart frog."
"Poisonous dart frogs are not pink. They're usually blue."
"Nerd."
"Thank you."
An hour later, the last bits of pudding and crumbs of biscuits had been wiped from the plates and the hall started to disperse. "First Year Hufflepuffs, over here," a Hufflepuff Fifth Year called as she exited the hall.
"All Slytherins- Move it! We're leaving!" a Slytherin Prefect shouted.
"Gryffindors over here!" Gryfindor's Prefect, Miles Lewis yelled, leading the members of Gryffindor House out into the hallways of Hogwarts. The group scrambled up the moving staircases, following the crowd through the familiar halls. When the crowd of Gryffindors had climbed stairs for a few minutes, they were faced with a portrait of a beautiful, yet fat, lady.
"What's the password?" a boy in the back of the crowd asked.
"Pixie Dust," Miles replied, and the portrait swung inward, revealing the Gryffindor Common Room. When everyone had clambered in, Miles declared that the Girls' dorm was to the left, Boy's to the right, and then sat by the fire and started reading.
"Wonder why he isn't in Ravenclaw. He's always reading," James mumbled as they climbed up the stairs to their dormitory.
"Wonder why you aren't in Hufflepuff," Sirius replied.
"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" Remus asked him.
"Nothing," Sirius said quickly. Remus looked at him as though he didn't believe him. "Nothing!"
"Hey! They left up our wall," Peter observed, pointing to the wall in their dorm on which they had pinned up pictures, reminders, and quidditch posters.
"Wow. I thought McGonagall would take it down for sure," Sirius said, reading the reminders.
"Of course she didn't take it down," James explained, "She likes you too much."
"Shut up!" Sirius told him, but was laughing along with the others.