Yes, Professor Malfoy?

t w o

I wasn't waiting for too long before the cobbles beneath my feet echoed an approaching pair of footsteps, and I looked up to find a lady wearing black robes and a matching black hat, a pair of glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. The lady's hair was scraped back into a tight side bun resting at the nape of her neck.

Her posture suggested superiority, and so I ducked my head respectfully when she stopped a few feet away from me, exactly as my parents had taught me to do.

"Professor."

"Miss Clarabelle Fayre, I presume."

The woman's voice was firm and authoritative, yet kind. She seemed surprised at my politeness.

"Shall we?" She turned in the direction she had come and I followed, nodding with a smile, and picked up my trunk.

We walked for a while before she turned a corner and a massive, stone castle came into view almost instantly. The turrets spiraled higher and higher up the sides and bridges could be seen between different parts of the beautiful buildings and infrastructure.

It truly looked impressive.

Must have taken quite a fair amount of time to repair after the war.

I jumped and nearly dropped my case out of surprise when she responded.

"Indeed it did, Miss Fayre. However, we decided against an upgrade of the structure. We figured it best to preserve the memory of the way Hogwarts has always looked, as a way of honor for its students and its history." Professor McGonagall answered my thoughts.

Legilimency.

I saw her nod out of the corner of my eye. "A modern type, allowing for more precisely unpicking another's mind."

I worked to file my thoughts and shield my mind from her, raising a wall in case she unintentionally invaded my privacy. I resisted the childish urge to peek into the forefront of her mind, not letting slip I was also skilled in legilimency.

I had taken it upon myself to learn how to develop the skill and practiced on unknowing participants, in other words, my parents. To my dismay, much of their memories from before I was born were unavailable for me to access.

Being so lost in my thoughts, my feet carrying me beside McGonagall's, I failed to notice that we had reached an archway at the front of the school.

She cleared her throat.

"Miss Fayre, please leave your bag here and our caretaker will carry it to your dormitory later on during the feast. First, follow me through the doors to the Great Hall to be sorted into your house." Professor McGonagall spoke kindly.

"Yes, Ma'am."

In the next moment, the tall doors swung opened with a bang, causing the loud chatter I briefly heard to die down instantly. Every head in the candle-lit hall turned in our direction.

What an entrance, I smirked inwardly.

I followed behind the headmistress with my head held high.

Fake it 'til you make it.

I saw that line in a muggle movie one time. One of the most cringe-worthy things I had ever heard, but it seemed to apply quite well.

Students whispered and looked me up and down, and I heard a few wolf whistles and giggles. I subtly rolled my eyes at the latter, but smiled nonetheless. New kid, new girl, fresh meat, blah blah blah...

I saw into a few people's thoughts; some comments seemed alright, others... not so much. I tuned out again as I continued to walk somewhat confidently down the middle aisle, two extremely long tables each side of me, paying attention so not to trip.