Lazuli - Harry Potter Fan Fiction (Draco Malfoy)

CHAPTER FOUR

Once I've finished my plate of vegetables, rice, chicken and a bowl of tomato soup, the plate vanishes from in front of me and re-apparates in the school kitchens, where hundreds of house elves are slaving away to prepare our food and clean the dishes. I feel sorry for them, the Welcome Feast is always incredibly busy and they have to work a lot harder than usual. But they're treated much better than other house elves, Kreacher in Grimmauld Place was treated harshly by Sirius and I've heard the horror story's. Some witches and wizards believe that creatures like house elves are inferior to them, just like they believe muggle-borns and so called 'blood traitors' beneath them also. People never used to voice these beliefs in public, for fear of getting a term in Azkaban. Such opinions hadn't been publicly broadcasted since You-Know-Who. But with his return, darkness is creeping back in and his supporters are rising again, ready to fight for his dishonourable cause.

Everyone else finishes eating soon after, at the Gryffindor table that is just next to ours, I see Ron finally declare that he's had enough after 5 chicken legs, 3 bowls of soup, 10 rolls, 4 helpings of brussel sprouts, 3 goblets of pumpkin juice and a Steak and Ale pie.

The rest of the plates disappear, as do the remains of the feast, only to be replaced by fresh silverware and new platters laddened with desserts from across the globe, syrniki from Russia, mango's from Jamaica, chocolate eclairs from France, apple crumble, chocolate cake, carrot cake, cheesecake, pain au chocolats, pecan tart, rhubarb pie, brownies and a huge arrangement of cupcakes on a huge podium in the centre of the table. I'm already incredibly full, but these treats are too good to resist. I sneak a mini eclair onto my plate and a slice of chocolate cake. To be healthy, I take some mango too.

Blaise is picking at a piece of apple crumble, eating it so slowly that I wonder how it doesn't loose it's taste. I manage to eat the majority of mine, leaving only half of the eclair and some slithers of mango. I'm quite truly stuffed.

Just as before, the plates disapparate, but this time nothing replaces them. I find myself watching Draco across the table, and realise that he hardly touched his main course and didn't have any dessert either. That must be how he stays so thin. I'm about to say something to him when Pansy intervenes and begins to blab to him about how fantastic her summer was. I smirk slightly as I see Draco's eyes glaze over with boredom, not that I could care less about Draco or Pansy.

We are all brought to silence by our headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, stepping up the the podium at the end of the room. He looks almost identical as he did 5 years ago to this day, the first time I met him. The long, white beard that almost reaches the floor, the robes of blue and silver. A cap upon his white head. And gold rimmed spectacles that perched on the tip of his nose, spectacles that see everything.

"Good evening Children," his powerful voice booms. Instantly, everyone in the hall is brought to silence, desperate to hear the great man speak. I find myself leaning a little closer, listening a little bit more intently, the same as everyone else in the hall. Everyone that is except Draco, who rolls his eyes and rests his chin in one palm. "Now we have two changes in staffing this year," Dumbledore continues. "We are pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking care of magical creatures whilst Professor Hagrid is on leave." I frown slightly, wondering where Hagrid has gone.

Dumbledore clears his throat gently before continuing with his introductions. "We also wish to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge." Everyone's eyes are drawn to the new addition to the staff table, someone that most of us have never seen before. A short and slightly plump woman with tightly curled brown hair and a furry pink dress suit, complete with a matching pink hat that's been carefully pinned into her hair and an assortment of pink brooches and rings that adorn her fingers and the awful pink jacket. To finish the outfit off, she appears to have covered her lips in pink lipstick and applied coat after coat of pink nail polish. She looks incredibly out of place in this old and sacred building, in fact she's brighter than a Christmas tree.