Hey, guys. I know it's been AGES since I last posted but I've been mega busy with coursework and all that jazz. But I've taken time tonight for myself to work on my little project and I'm just starting on Chapter Eight right now, so should have Seven and Eight up sometime tomorrow for you.
Thank you to everyone who has followed/favourited/reviewed this story, it means a lot to me and it helps me to tweak and fix the mistakes I've made as I don't often read over my work because of how excited I get to show it to you all (so please just ignore any mistakes and act like they're not there, plus, suspend disbelief for like the 10 minutes you spend reading this haha)
Just had a major argument with my mom and might never finish this story now, come to think of it. Really sorry.
Jade.
Chapter Six
We approached Hogsmead in good time, thanks to putting my foot down. Ginny and I had retreated from talking of the past and the future and stuck to the present like directions and traffic lights – she still couldn't get over them.
"Right, you'd better get out here." I told her. "I'll see you at school. I'll keep an eye out for you." I told her seriously. We might not have been friends for two and a half years, but I considered her somewhat a friend after the ride up here and hoped she saw me the same. Apparently she did.
"Same to you, 'Mione." She smiled, leaning over and kissing my cheek softly. I smiled as she climbed out of the car and shut the door, taking her trunk out of the boot and shutting it.
I watched her to make sure she got to Hogsmead safely before pulling away and making my way up to Hogwarts. Of course, I didn't expect to get very close and it wasn't long before Filch came to my window, looking bemused, asking me to wind down the window. I obliged and smiled out the window at him. Ginny had suggested putting a single stroke of winged eyeliner on and some deep red lipstick and apparently it made all the difference as Filch's eyes glazed over and he smiled at me sweetly.
"Madam, I'm sorry, but you're not allowed to…have that…here." He told me.
"Well, where should I park?" I asked him.
"There's a space to keep it by the Quidditch field. I'm sorry that it's so far out, but we can't chance the students getting hold of it. You understand?"
"Of course." I smiled at him, feeling slightly sick as he looked at me like he did.
Reversing quickly and spinning the car around, I pulled away and parked by the Quidditch field, as Filch had said and pulled my trunk out of the boot of the car, locking it up and making sure I had everything before Apparating as closely to the grounds as possible and walking the rest of the way. It was a short walk before I met the concrete of the front gate, still manned by Filch.
Several students were now filing in and I noticed the fiery red hair of Ginny moving towards the front gate. I made sure to distance myself from the students as I greeted the old caretaker again, smiling just as I had originally.
"Could you be a dear and open the gate for me?" I asked, slanting my body using my shoulder like Matilda had always told me in order to get my own way. I felt ridiculous.
But it worked, mind you, and it hadn't failed me yet.
"Of course, my dear." He said softly, opening the door and waving me inside before shutting it.
I heard his voice change to one of disdain as he spoke to the rest of the people behind me. Yes, that was the Filch I remembered and it actually made a shiver run down my spine, looking at the castle and hearing his voice. Yes, I felt about fourteen years old again.
Making my way to the Great Hall, as was customary on the first night, I dropped my bags with the rest of the Gryffindors – with my name on so that the House Elves would know where to drop it for me – and proceeded to the Hall. It didn't take long to locate Professor McGonagall and several other older-looking students, dressed similarly to me. I smiled and walked up confidently, much different to how I felt on the inside, and greeted them.
"Hello, I'm Genevieve Ann Wharton." I offered to them in form of identification.
"Oh, Miss. Wharton." Professor McGonagall said sounding relieved. "We have been waiting for you a while." She explained. "Now, as you are without Houses it is customary for you to sit on your own table." She added, waving over a floating table to the space that was beside the teacher's table on the side of the Slytherins. "Now, these are your other mature students who you may run into from time to time." She said, pushing us together before walking down the hall to greet the first years.
"Wow, she's busy." One girl said, laughing slightly.
"It's because Dumbledore's gone." A boy replied, sounding serious. "I don't know what he's playing at."
It didn't take long to guess what Houses these people would have been in. The giggly blonde was called Lucy; she was a little younger than me and was evidently several years behind mentally. The boy, Cynric, was Pureblood and felt himself above everyone and that everyone needed their own place in the world and should do everything within them to do it…and if they didn't, that was just disgraceful. There were scatterings of other people, but they were faceless and didn't really catch my eye. There were maybe ten of us older students, though none were above twenty, and we fell into conversation easily.
"So, who here used to go to Hogwarts?" One genius asked. I kept my head down. "No one?" He asked. "God, it sucks being the only one." He muttered.
I looked up at him to see the one and only Blaise Zabini. My jaw almost dropped to the floor. What on Earth was he doing here?
"Hey, you, I haven't heard your name yet." He called over. Somehow I knew he could only be talking to me and I looked up from my dinner with my hair slightly over my face, looking at him with heavily lids that I knew would throw him off. I wasn't wrong and I thanked Matilda with everything I had.
"Genevieve." I supplied with a heavy accent and a smirk before going back to my dinner.
"Blaise Zabini." He said breathlessly. "Hey, how old are you?"
"Do you think it's prudent to be shouting over other people's dinners?" I asked him with a raised eyebrow.
"I think I'd challenge a few people if they dared stop me, beautiful." He said with a wink.
I tried not to show the shock on my face from the fact that Blaise Zabini; Mudblood-hated-extraordinaire had just called me beautiful. Had I not know any better, I would have blushed, giggled and been all girly, but I do know better.
"Yes, but you wouldn't challenge me." I replied, turning away from him and going back to my dinner, putting a mouthful of rice into my mouth and starting a conversation with Cynric – yes I was that desperate.
Blaise called over everyone once again and bought attention to him, "Why? Complaining about me interrupting your dinner?" He asked with a smirk.
"I'm much the private type." I told him with a slight serious look.
He seemed to take the hint and smiled at me before turning back to his dinner and speaking to the people across from him about all sorts of things. At least he's not bringing up Muggleborns, I thought to myself.
Dinner passed quickly and I was happy to watch the first years being sorted into their houses, watching with smiles, as they looked so excited to run to their respective tables, though I found it hard to keep up my smile as they were sorted into Slytherin. It was as definite that they would become like Cynric and Blaise within the first few weeks if they weren't already and that would be the end of it…they'd be working for the Dark Lord and probably willingly signing their own death warrants. It made me feel sad, but I had to remember that I was here trying to prevent all of this, even if I was unsure how I was doing it.
Once dessert was over – despite not eating any, I had to stay for it for no one would be able to tell me where my room was – we watched the heads of each house walk the first years to the correct dorms. It took minutes for Professor McGonagall to walk over and summon us all up; we obliged politely and followed her.
"You will all share a common room, however you will have your own bedrooms considering you're mature students." Minerva said as she led us there. "You are excused from most activities other than Quidditch, as I'm sure you are all aware, it is part of a bonding exercise as morale is low lately." She added, expanding no further as she lead us to the Seventh Floor and lead us down the hall to the final door with a portrait. "The password is 'Hippogriff'." She told us before turning to face everyone. "I'm afraid that as mature students you will be looked upon as teachers in many situations and may even be recognised as graduated Witches and Wizards should the opportunity arise. We suggest that if you see a dispute, you act accordingly though discipline will be decided by the closest possible member of staff." She told us, looking at Blaise and Cynric specifically. "Alcohol is not permitted on the grounds and being intoxicated is prohibited." She said sternly, "Zero tolerance for any rules broken, the list of rules for the dorm are inside. I bid you goodnight." She nodded before leaving.
I watched her go and then turned back to see I was the only one left in the hallway. Rolling my eyes, I walked in to see several of them jumping on the sofas excitedly. I let out a little laugh as one of them fell with a thud, offering my hand out to her and helping her up. She didn't look hurt and went back to her playing. Usually I would have shouted at them, but it wasn't like we were incapable Witches and Wizards…if something got broke then simple repair spells would be administered. Since everyone else seemed occupied, I picked up the list and read the rules.
1) Provocative dress is not permitted on Hogwarts grounds. A member of staff will lengthen skirts deemed unacceptable, shirts revealing too much flesh shall also be modified.
2) Mature Students are not superior to those that are normal students and should not think themselves better or treat students as a lower form of citizen when studying at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
3) Any romantic relationships will not be displayed in front of younger students and any mature themes in conversation will not be discussed outside of private quarters. Sex is not permitted on grounds.
I snorted at the thought of Professor McGonagall or Dumbledore writing something like that, but thought it to be a very good rule. Though in any school some students would grow up faster than others, but it didn't mean the younger students needed to hear about it.
4) Though not required to attend every Great Hall occasion, it is requested that Mature Students attempt to attend several a month for appearances sake.
5) The use of automobiles/broomsticks/Apparation is strictly prohibited as a form of transportation in the sight of the younger student and the person responsible will be punished severely if caught.
Well, that made sense, everyone knew that Apparation was prohibited and impossible on Hogwarts grounds and only certain members of staff could get around it. Broomsticks were used for sports and not transport, as the danger they posed when the users were not supervised was rather serious. Automobiles spoke for itself…the Magical world was not ready, especially younger students who had never heard much of the Muggle world.
6) Due to respect, all Mature Students must refer to their teachers with their academic name, for example; Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick and Professor Trelawney.
Again, that was a given.
7) Eating in bedrooms is strictly prohibited, though the common room may be used for the odd dinner should the student be unable to make it to the Great Hall on time.
8) Mature Students will stay in their own rooms. Any violators of this will be punished severely.
9) Those who are not students or mature students will not be permitted access to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry without express permission from a higher authority and never as a long-term stay. Rule 3) heavily applied.
10) Leaving grounds is up to the individual and is encouraged when considering rule 9). The distance a mature student may travel is up to the individual, however a curfew of 12AM applies to weekdays and 1AM for weekends.
The list seemed rather reasonable considering we were all barely eighteen or only a fraction older. Although I found myself not willing to defy any of these rules, it was good to know them. I put the list down on the coffee table where the rest of them were still jumping around and laughed to myself.
Yep, still very young mentally.
And with that, I left for my room. It was convenient that the whole corridor of the Seventh Floor was devoted to the Mature Students. I looked around and saw a room with my name over it on a gold plaque. Stroking over it I missed being called Hermione and sighed, letting myself in as my touch on the door was the lock and key mechanism. I saw my trunk and bags sitting beside the bed and then took in the room.
It was rather lavish, with polished black and brown onyx floor that was rough and uneven. I walked along it and my heels were fine, not tripping me at all, which made me consider that it was enchanted to look this way. The walls were the same colour as the floor, only not polished and I touched them lightly, they were warm. I guess that sorts out the hearing quandary… I looked around and saw that my bed was double the size it had been when I was a normal student here and it was very old fashioned, polished brass wish black and brass detailing and a chocolate brown throw over the white covers and deep chocolate sheets. It appeared that the elves had already been in and turned down my bed and I smiled, remembering that luxury compared with the cots we had in the army. I moved turned and saw that the room had changed since I had been inside it, the floor now perfectly smooth with three steps in the middle that held the bed and the vanity table beside it higher. On the floor beside the bed was a large, white, fur throw that I reached down and stroked. Turning around I was a brass desk to match the bed with a few pieces of parchment waiting, ready for use, and several quills already in the inkpot waiting for me.
I ran my hand over the desk and the matching chair that was leather and brass. Turning to face the room again I saw that beside the door was a large brass and leather wardrobe that was already open, hangers waiting for me to hang up my clothes. I would never forget the wonders of Hogwarts and magic as I laughed lightly to myself at how the room had listened to my every need through my feelings and observing me and placing everything on there for me. I smiled and walked over, lifting my wand from my thigh straps under my skirt and flicking my wrist, letting the natural feeling come back to me. I was a bit rusty, but managed to get my clothes to hang themselves up and my trunk to fold away neatly beside the window. It was then that I walked over and looked out of it.
Sure, the view was different to the one I had originally, but it was nice to have a change. Having the same view I had looked out of for so many weeks of sadness didn't appeal to me anymore and I found myself enjoying the new view much better, overlooking the Dark Forest. When I was younger I had imagined all sorts of things coming from it, never a good thing when you were twelve or thirteen years old, but now I was nearly nineteen, it seemed rather beautiful and enchanting. So much magic in one place couldn't be all that ugly.
But those spiders were stupidly big. I shuddered.
I grabbed my overnight bag that I had packed just in case and picked out my toothbrush, my book and my pyjamas, glad that I had something decent to wear, rather than a baggy t-shirt as usual. I hadn't been aware that sharing a common room was a possibility. Plus, I'd have to face quite a few portraits and maybe a few students as I walked to the common room on the other end of the hall in the morning. Though that was unlikely since it was the Seventh Floor and there wasn't much up here besides the Mature Student's dorms.
Slipping on the black silk nightdress I felt rather exposed. It did nothing to contain my rather…cold…chest area…as the cami-style nightdress was made of rather thin material. It reached even shorter than my skirt earlier had and I felt self-conscious. I would just have to change in the morning.
I climbed into bed with my book and almost moaned out loud at being so comfortable after so long in a single bed from when I was eleven years old. Considering I had only been home for a few weeks at Christmas and Summer, my parents hadn't though to replace my bed before I went to the army and by then they had sold it for lack of use, so staying on the sofa for a week had done my neck a world of badness. I quickly drifted off to sleep with a slight smile on my face.