Nella Dursley and the Wondrous World of Magic

Classes in a Castle

Nella was more restless than before she left for Hogwarts; the little sleep she did get was interrupted by a quiet knock on her door. She got up to answer and was surprised to see Lidia with a startling wide smile crinkling her brown eyes.

"Good morning! I didn't want you to miss breakfast... you ought to get ready soon." And with that, she walked away curving her black hair around her ear.
Nella felt suspicious. Lidia wasn't wrong though, and she did her lonely morning routine.

Mostly lonely.

She pulled on her robes after Rupert tumbled out of them. He grumpily meowed but licked her hand in forgiveness; she drew her hand from his chin to his tail.

"Where have you been?" Rupert stretched and yawned before dropping to the floor and wrapping around her legs. He purred and continued making it impossible to move her feet.

"I'm not sure I can take you to class," she said to him while lifting him in the air. His ears flattened and he avoided her gaze. Nella didn't think the term "puppy eyes” technically worked here, but she folded and tucked him carefully in her hood while checking the mirror.

"Just keep quiet and sneak out if you need food or the kitty toilet." She could feel his soft purring as a response. He was already starting to get big enough that he made her hood rather heavy, but not too noticeable yet. She grabbed up all her books, which made her bag also rather heavy. She had eight texts, some very thick volumes, required for her first year.

~ ☪ ~

Scorpius was last to wake before the three first years made their way to the Great Hall. Eyes seemed to keep meeting with Nella's before she ducked her head and stared at her feet on the way to her table. The paranoia stole her appetite.
Right as the trio sat down Olivia was jogging to them from her table, casting glares at many pairs of eyes that weren't staring at her, but at Nella's little group.

"Hey! Nella, some weird rumors are going around-" Olivia looked disgruntled and Nella flushed when the paranoia turned to truth. A short cough interrupted Olivia across and diagonal from their seat.

"Oh? Hufflepuff's heard? Wow, that was quick." Lidia spoke slyly while passing a slender shoulder to another Slytherin girl.

"Of course, you started it! This is last year all over again!" Olivia's volume was slowly increasing and now eyes were pausing on her.

"I wasn't saying anything bad! I was just concerned for dear Nella. It looked like she was struggling at Hagrid's hut. Maybe someone can give her some tips-"

"You called her a squib!" Olivia stomped her foot and more heads began to swivel in her direction.

"Excuse me? Don't put words in my mouth. I never said that if that's what everyone else is calling her..." Lidia shrugged her shoulders carelessly, which seemed unwise. Olivia was shaking with anger and was slowly reaching her hand down her robes.

David must've smelt danger, he seemed to materialize at Olivia's shoulder.

"What are you doing at the Slytherin table? Pull that wand out and it's five points Scamander." Olivia's brown eyebrows pressed very close together before she marched back to the Hufflepuffs. David watched her go until she seated herself, he took a deep breath before announcing,

"Five points from Slytherin."

"What!" Lidia started.

"What'd we do!?" Her neighbor demanded.

"I told you. It's on our letters, that was the first thing on the list too. No unsolicited information about students is to be shared with other students," Theodore slipped into a seat on the other side of Lidia with a bored expression.