(A/N: Hey, guys! TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY BC IT'S HARRY POTTER'S BIRTHDAY :D I haven't updated because I have legit reasons. I had show choir rehearsals for a whole week, so I had to focus on that. Anyway, this chapter has some new characters that hopefully a few of you will recognize. I had the best weekend ever last week and here's why: I got my driver's license on Friday, I spent the entire day at the beach with my show choir on Saturday, and on Sunday I scored tickets to see my favorite band with my friends in a few months! I also bought my favorite band's debut album and I haven't stopped listening to it since. The band has been saying that they'd release it for a long ass time and I'm just so happy right now because they worked so hard on it and it just sounds so good. I can't even with these feels. And their new music video for their new single I just ugh. Sorry about the feels attack. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I'm not good with describing setting, but I tried. Just wanna remind everyone that I do what I want bc I'm punk rock. Remember to follow, favorite, and comment! Please remember that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. Enjoy ^_^)
Chapter 12: New Kids On The Block
Hermione's attention to the floating candles was broken when her two best friends took the seats in front of her.
"Hey, Harry," Hermione chirped, ignoring Ron.
"'Mione, you can't still be mad at me," Ron asked incredulously.
Hermione turned her head and countered, "Oh hey, Ron. I almost didn't recognize you without your Neanderthal hanging off your arm."
"Haha," Ron laughed sarcastically. "Did Malfoy tell you that one?"
"Mate, just stop. She has a right to be mad anyway," Harry reasoned.
"Guys, stop it," Ginny growled.
Ron huffed and fumed quietly in his seat. Hermione gritted her teeth as she look at Ron with disdain. The group remained uncomfortable in the silence that ensued. Refusing to look directly at Ron, she chose to watch the wall facing her. Unintentionally, her eyes locked with Draco's. He could sense the tension between her and Ron, so he wore his trademark smirk. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to watch Professor McGonagall sort the first years.
After what seemed like forever, McGonagall finally finished sorting all of the first years. McGonagall dusted the Sorting Hat and placed it back on the stool. "Before we begin the feast, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words," she informed. As Dumbledore stood up to make his speech, she made her way toward her seat and sat down.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore's voice boomed, echoing across the Great Hall. "Now, before we begin our feast, I would like to inform you that this year we have four new students."
The students rustled and whispered amongst themselves before Dumbledore began speaking again. "These four young lads came from the Sydney Academy of Wizardry in Australia, so I want you all to do everything you can to make them feel welcome. They're in a band well-known in both the Muggle World and the Wizarding World, so please do not overwhelm them."
Hermione and Ginny raised their eyebrows, both taken aback by the fact that the four new kids get mobbed. "I know who the new kids are," Hermione whispered to Ginny.
"Tell me who," Ginny squealed.
Hermione leaned over and told her best friend who she thought the new students were. Once Hermione returned to her normal posture, Ginny squealed louder, bringing Ron and Harry's attention.
"And now it's time to introduce Hogwarts to its newest students," Dumbledore announced. The students sat straight up, all eager to see the new students. "It gives me great pleasure to introduce," Dumbledore paused, smiling at the suspense he purposely created. "Mr. Ashton Irwin!"
A tall, brown-blonde shaggy-haired boy, dressed in the school's uniform, walked through the door to the Great Hall and walked through the center aisle towards the Head Table. Most of the girls either squealed or nearly fainted at the sight of him. Every so often, he would grin at a random girl, making his dimples visible. Ashton smiled as he walked up to Dumbledore, shook his hand and waited next to the Sorting Hat.
"Mr. Michael Clifford," Dumbledore shouted.
At that moment, a towering pale boy with white hair and a black stripe down the middle, took the walked between the two center tables towards Dumbledore. He stopped every once in a while to stroke a girl's cheek or to hug her. He stepped up to Dumbledore, shook his hand, and stood next to Ashton. As he waited, he fidgeted with his uniform.
"Mr. Calum Hood," The Headmaster introduced.
The students watched as another large boy walked into the Great Hall. Unlike the others, he had black hair and had a few arm tattoos exposed from his rolled up sleeves. He poked out his tongue in a cute way as he passed a few girls, making them squeal. Like his best friends, he shook hands with Dumbledore and stood off to the side between Michael and Ashton.
"Last, but certainly not least, Mr. Luke Hemmings," Dumbledore boomed.
As Dumbledore introduced the last student, the students snapped their heads in the direction of the entrance. A thin, gigantic, blonde boy whose hair was styled in a tall quaff stood in the doorway for a brief second before entering. His black lip-ring shined in the candlelight as he took long strides towards Dumbledore. Girls from the different houses were squealing much louder than they were for the other boys. Dumbledore chuckled to himself as he observed the female students' reactions. He shook Luke's hand had the boy wait next to his friends.
Harry's voice took Hermione's attention away from what was going on in the front. "I'm guessing he's the lead singer," Harry guessed, making it seem like he was asking a question.
Hermione and Ginny nodded in confirmation, both of their eyes locked firmly on the pop-punk band up front.
"Before you all arrived, these boys have been sorted into the Gryffindor House for their courage, chivalry, nerve, and strength of will," Dumbledore explained.
The Gryffindor girls cheered while the girls from the other houses groaned, obviously upset that they won't get to share a common room with the new boys.
"Would you boys like to say a few words," Dumbledore offered.
The boys nodded and beamed at the smiling audience. "Hey we're," Calum and Luke began, the Australian accent evident in their voices.
"Hi we're 5 Seconds of Summer-" Ashton and Michael yelled at the same time as the others, cutting off the other boys.
"Wait, is it hi or hey," Ashton giggled.
"Is it hi or hey," Michael repeated.
Luke groaned, "I hate this band." The student body erupted in laughter at Luke's comment.
"We're 5 Seconds of Summer and we're excited to be able to attend this fine institution," Ashton started, his words laced with his thick Australian accent.
"And I'm really excited to make some new friends with all of you," Calum exclaimed.
"Me, too, because these guys are annoying," Michael teased, playfully shoving Luke.
Luke rolled his eyes at Michael. "Anyway, let's make this year memorable, lads!"
The students clapped and shrieked in excitement as soon as Luke concluded. The Australians stepped down and took their seats next to Hermione and Ron at the Gryffindor table.
"Just a reminder that The Dark Forest is strictly prohibited to those who value life as a precious gift," Dumbledore warned, fixing his half-moon spectacles. "I also want to take this time to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Amon Deogol!"
Seated in between Professor Snape and Professor Flitwik, a lean, tall, dark-haired man with facial hair stood up and bowed his head as the students applauded. Deogol took his seat next and waited for Dumbledore to finish his announcements.
"Why do I have a feeling that this clown is going to be exactly like Lockhart," Ron tensed.
"And this year's Head Girl and Head Boy, Hermione Granger of Gryffindor and Draco Malfoy of Slytherin," Dumbledore proudly declared.
Hermione stood up and smiled as the students cheered and clapped, but Draco scowled as he stood.
"What bug crawled up his ass," Michael snorted, gesturing to the Slytherin table.
The band giggled and turned their attention back to Dumbledore.
"Finally, before we begin the feast I would like to say a few words," Dumbledore informed.
The students perked up and prepared to listen to what their headmaster had to say.
"Ahem," he began. "Mutton-fudge! Noodles! Bunny fluff! That is all."
"The hell was that," Calum muttered confusedly.
"Has he gone mad" Luke emitted.
"Does this usually happen," Michael asked no one in particular.
"It's a regular thing, but he's a genius," Ginny chimed in.
"Now then, let the feast begin," Dumbledore boomed, clapping his hands.
To the amazement of the first year students, a long line of epicurean delight appeared before their eyes. Everyone admired the delectable food before serving themselves.
Shortly after taking some food, the group decided to introduce themselves to their new classmates.
"Hello, my name is Hermoine," she greeted, facing Ashton. "If you ever need anything, just come to me and I'd be happy to assist you all."
"Thank you, Hermione," he grinned.
"I'm Ginny and I love your music," she gushed.
"Awww that's so nice," Calum smiled.
Harry curtly nodded, "Harry Potter."
"Holy balls, you're Harry Potter," Michael asked in disbelief.
Harry chuckled and nodded.
"You're reputation made it all the way to Australia, mate," Luke admitted, cutting his steak.
"Really," Harry gasped, piling steak on his plate.
"Defeating the darkest wizard of all time isn't exactly a small accomplishment," Ginny remarked.
"I'm Ron Weasley, Ginny's brother," the red-headed boy spoke with his mouth full of mashed potatoes.
"Honestly, Ron, don't you ever think to swallow your food before speaking to someone," Hermione said with a hint of irritation and annoyance.
"Whatever," Ron hissed after he swallowed. His face turned an angry shade of red.
Sensing the animosity between the two, Ashton decided to ease the tension. "Luke does it all the time," Ashton snickered. "It's okay, really."
The blonde boy with the quiff shrugged and shoveled more food into his mouth.
The group made more topics of conversations between bites of food.
"So tell me, how many shows have you guys played," Harry questioned, facing Luke.
Luke thought for a minute before responding. "About a hundred or so," he confirmed.
"And how far have you traveled," Hermione asked.
"Aside from Australia and New Zealand, we've been to the US and Europe," Calum replied before taking a sip of his drink.
"Do you guys get mobbed," Ron asked, surprising everyone at how calm he was.
"Every once in a blue moon," Luke answered.
Michael turned to Luke. "Shut up, Hemmings. You sound like a loser," he teased.
"Hey, fuck you, man," Luke giggled.
"Luke, stop cursing. That's bad," Ashton giggled, sounding like a school girl.
After the feast, Draco, Hermione, and the band met with Professor McGonagall at the front table.
"Good evening to you all," she greeted. "As you two know," she began, gesturing to the Heads, "you have to share living quarters for the rest of the year."
"We're aware," Draco indicated, yawning.
"Well now that we have these four new boys, we need to take extra precautions to ensure their safety while they are here. Seeing as how the female population of the school reacted, we may need to make more safety measures," she divulged.
"That won't be necessary, Professor. We've gotten ourselves out of those kinds of situations many times," Ashton reassured, fixing his hair.
"As much as I want to take your word for it, I'm afraid something might happen. For that reason, you six will be sharing a common, but you will all have your own bedrooms," she explained.
Hermione nodded, while Draco rolled his eyes and scoffed. Michael eyed Draco cautiously from the side.
"I'll show you to your common room," she stated, gesturing the group to follow her. Along the way, Hermione spoke quietly with the band while Draco lingered a few meters away from the group.
As the group stepped on a staircase, they each felt the jolt signaling the change. Within a few seconds, the staircase started moving and changing directions. "These stairs move? That's really cool," Ashton pointed out. "All we had back in Sydney was regular stationary stairs."
The Hermione, Calum, Michael, and Luke snickered at Ashton's amazement and said hello to a few people in the portraits until they took a few more staircases and reached a renaissance portrait of three men playing various instruments- a lute and two wind instruments.
"This is where you six will be living. You'll find that your belongings have already been taken in," Professor McGonagall informed. "You need to come up with a password to your portrait before you can enter. Keep in mind that the password must be changed at least once every three weeks."
The six students nodded their understanding.
"Good, now off to bed," she entreated. She turned around and made her way down the moving staircase.
Hermione suggested, "Okay, guys we need to think of a password that no one else will-"
"Shut up, Luke," Michael yelled loudly as Luke fell into a coughing fit.
The three men bowed their heads and opened the portrait door.
"Michael, what the hell," Hermione interjected.
"What?"
"You just set the password, and now for the next three weeks I'll have to walk up to the three men in the portrait and yell 'shut up, Luke' just to get in," Hermione fretted.
Michael chuckled, "I actually quite like it."
"So do we," Calum and Ashton giggled, both high-fiving Michael.
"I hate you guys," Luke mumbled, hanging his head.
"I can't believe I have to share my living space with these four annoying idiots and a know-it-all Mudblood," Draco seethed.
"Believe me, Malfoy, if I had a choice between living with you and a troll, I would pick the troll over you any day," she seethed.
Malfoy stepped up to Hermione, slightly towering over her. "Is that supposed to insult me, you waste of skin?"
"Shove off, Malfoy," Calum growled, getting into Draco's face.
"Whatever," Draco retorted, fast walking into the portrait hole, leaving the other five behind.
Hermione and the other boys walked into the portrait hole. As they walked further in, they took in the appearance of their common room
A long, white couch with matching white cushions stood on top of a black carpet. In front of the couch was a large TV mounted above a fireplace, which was lit with a welcoming fire. On either side of the fireplace were two large windows with a view of The Black Lake with a small view of the Forbidden Forest off to the side. In between the fireplace and the couch was a black coffee table with the TV remote. Off to the side was a kitchenette-complete with cabinets, a refrigerator and freezer, a stove, a microwave, an oven, and a sink- and a small dining table with six chairs.
As the group ventured into their new home, they noticed a bookshelf filled with magical and muggle texts. Next to the bookshelf was a large desk with a couple of drawers. Along the edges of the walls were six empty doorways; two of them labeled above the doorways as Head Boy and Head Girl with plaques.
"Well, boys, I'm going bed, but we can furnish the common room tomorrow," Hermione offered.
"Okay, Hermione," Ashton smiled. "Thank you for being so nice to us on our first day here."
"It's no trouble at all," she responded, grinning. "And you can call me 'Mione, if you'd like."
"Alright, 'Mione. Good night," Luke spoke softly.
"Night, boys," she yawned, walking through the Head Girl doorway. Through the doorway were a set of stairs leading up to her room.
Her room was brightly lit, illuminating the red and gold walls. In the center of the back wall was her bed, surrounded by four pillars supporting the top of the bed. On both sides of the bed were two small bedside tables. On her right was a large, wooden desk with drawers. To her left was a door, which led to a walk-in closet; and to the left of that was a door that led to the bathroom. Hermione thought about opening the bathroom, but she stopped once she heard the shower turn on.
Ugh, I have to share the bathroom with that asshole.
Deciding to shower early in the morning, she changed out of her uniform and put on her sleeping clothes. Before closing her eyes and falling asleep completely, she made a list of things she needed to do tomorrow.
Shower, get ready, attend my lessons, get settled into the room, help the boys fix up the common room…
While lying down, she turned to face her left, and looked out the window, giving her a view of the moonlight reflecting off the waters of the Black Lake. Slowly, her eyes started to droop.
So darling, darling
Stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me
Oh stand by me, oh won't you stand now, stand
Stand by me
Stand by me
The audience got up from their seats and applauded loudly as they cheered. She put the microphone back on its stand, while basking in my glory on stage. Roses were being thrown at her feet as she bowed my head. The more she smiled, the more her face hurt, but that was nothing. As the rose throwing lessened, something hard hit her face.
It shattered as soon as the object made contact with the singer's face. She got a glimpse of whatever hit her after she composed herself. Looking, on the ground she saw broken glass and a clear liquid with a formidable odor. After a while, her face began to burn, as the cold air hit her. As she touched my face, her hand recoiled as she hissed in pain. She inspected my hand. Blood.
"GET OFF THAT STAGE, SLUT. WE'RE GOING HOME NOW," a familiar, but angry voice boomed. He stomped on stage and grabbed her small wrists.
A second later the two were home. "YOU PATHETIC LITTLE WHORE, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING AROUND DISOBEYING ME?"
She remained silent, which must have angered him further.
"YOU BETTER SAY SOMETHING OR YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT!"
But she didn't know what to say; she was too terrified to say anything.
"YOU'RE ASKING FOR IT," he growled, before striking the girl in the face.
She fell on the ground clutching her face as she wailed, "Please stop."
"No, I'm enjoying this," he laughed evilly. He lifted her up by my hair, her body involuntarily following. "Say goodnight, bitch," he whispered.
"Wait what the hell-"
In a split second, she saw a huge, sharp, silver knife go to her neck. She could feel the cold blade on her skin as it slowly glided across her neck. Her screams made her vision go fuzzy. She could feel herself growing weaker and weaker.