DISCLAIMER
I do not own Harry Potter ... but if I did Hufflepuff's animal would NOT be a badger
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Classes started the next day.
Bel had transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, who Bel discovered was the woman who held the sorting ceremony last night.
Potions with Professor Snape, the Slytherin head of house.
Lunch. Ollies already claimed favourite lesson.
And finally, flying. The lesson Bel was most excited for.
Breakfast was chaotic, with Riley and Bel meeting up with Ollie at the table.
Bel had seen other students of different houses sitting at different tables.
If she wanted to, it wouldn't be a problem for her to sit at the Gryffindor table where she had seen Ron, Harry and even Hermione eating.
But she wanted to make sure she would make a good impression on her friends in her house first.
After all, they were the people she would be seeing most often.
So Bel had chosen to sit at her house table surrounded by her two new Hufflepuff friends as they expressed their excitement for the day ahead.
"You three should really get going. Don't want to be late on your first day. Especially not to McGonagall's class", Cedric had told them as he left the hall himself.
Almost immediately, they got up to leave and ,surprisingly, they were joined quickly by Hermione.
Harry and Ron stayed where they were, perhaps it was in an attempt to not go after Hermione after Ron's initial and quite evident distaste towards the girl.
"Bel! Are you heading to transfiguration?" Hermione asked as she ran up to the three Hufflepuffs walking out of the Great Hall.
"Yep. Do you have it too?" Bel asked, unaware of which houses shared which classes.
"All first years have the same classes, only in a few are we split off from each other into only two of our houses sharing them", Hermione explained.
"Brilliant. I was hoping I'd have some of the same classes with you three. After being sorted into different houses I guess I wasn't sure ...", Bel trailed off.
"Don't worry. You're stuck with me all year. As well as those two idiots. It is a shame you weren't sorted into Gryffindor. No offence", Hermione said to Bel before directing her final statement to Ollie and Riley who were walking on Bel's other side.
"None taken. I'd rather be in Hufflepuff than Gryffindor any day", Riley said, her sense of house pride already shining through.
"Hermione, this is Riley and Ollie. This is Hermione Granger", Bel introduced the three.
"Nice to meet you", Ollie said as Hermione kept her eyes firmly planted on the hallway in front of them.
Eventually, they reached the transfiguration classroom which was already filled with other students taking their seats.
Seeing as Hermione only knew Bel out of the group of four, Bel and her slipped into one of the shared desks to the right of the room as Riley and Ollie sat in the one opposite them on the left.
Professor McGonagall arrived not soon after and introduced them to the subject before setting them a task of taking notes about the transfiguration alphabet.
"It's been fifteen minutes. Where's Harry and Ron?" Bel whispered to Hermione as they got out their textbooks after taking notice of two empty seats at the front of the class.
"How should I know? Probably in the wrong class", Hermione replied in a disapproving tone.
"Or totally lost", Bel added as the two girls held back giggles.
Bel's question as to the boy's whereabouts was immediately answered as the door behind them swung open.
Bel turned around to see Harry and Ron run in, looking very out of breath resulting in Hermione rolling her eyes and Bel shaking her head with a small smile.
"Whew, we made it. Can you imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if we were late?" Ron said through his staggered breaths.
Suddenly, the cat sat on McGonagall's desk leaped forward and converted into the Professor in the air.
Naturally, everyone else in the class had witnessed her transform into said cat, to the amazement of Bel and Hermione who gave her a quick lecture about the magic behind it.
"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron said as he and Harry pulled shocked and amazed expressions which didn't match the very disapproving one McGonagall was sporting.
"Oh, thank you for that assessment, Mr Weasley. Perhaps it would be more useful if I were to transfigure Mr Potter or yourself into a pocket watch? That way one of you might be on time", McGonagall scolded.
Bel was practically biting her lip to hold back her laughter.
"We got lost", Harry tried to explain.
"Called it", Bel whispered to Hermione who smiled slightly as she kept her head down in her book.
"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats", McGonagall retorted as she gestured to the front desk before walking back to her own.
Harry and Ron both sat down begrudgingly and once they were settled in, Harry turned over his shoulder and met Bel's eyes.
"Late, Mr Potter", Bel mouthed as she shook her head with a disapproving expression which matched McGonagall's.
Harry smiled and rolled his eyes before turning his focus back to what the rest of the class had been doing.
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Next was potions.
There were three long tables in the dimly lit classroom, each one with a smoking cauldron placed in front of the seats.
Hermione had joined the rest of the Gryffindors in the middle table which Harry and Ron had also sat down on.
Bel was sandwiched in between Riley and Ollie at the front with the Hufflepuffs and on their left was Draco in between Crabbe and Goyle.
"How much money would I have to give one of you to put your hand in there", Ollie said as he pointed at the smoking cauldron.
"I don't think numbers go that high", Riley said as she glanced at the cauldron with slight fear.
"I just want to see what would happen", Ollie replied.
"If you're so keen, you do it", Bel responded.
"I don't want my hand to be burnt or to fall off!" Ollie said.
"And you think we do?" Bel said in disbelief as Riley rolled her eyes.
Suddenly, the door behind them all flew open and in walked Professor Snape.
He had large flowing black robes that always trailed behind him when he walked.
On another person, it would look rather silly. But Professor Snape was so terrifying that you didn't even dare to think about him in a joking way.
"There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion-making. However, for those select few ...", Snape said before glancing down at Malfoy with his last words.
"Who possess the predisposition ... I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death".
Bel already knew from the first sentence Snape said that potions was not going to be her forte.
She had a feeling that any classes involving her wand were going to be a lot easier and more successful than those that didn't.
However, in this world compared to the muggle world she came from, everything excited her to a certain extent.
Even potions with one of the most terrifying men she had ever come across.
"Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable ..." Snape said as he made eye contact with Bel in the front row.
She felt her heart stop as she stared into his dark eyes that had no light to them.
"...that you feel confident enough to not pay attention", Snape finished as he shifted his eyes to behind Bel.
Her heart felt like it was beating once more as it wasn't her he was directing his statement to.
Instead, it was to "Mr Potter. Our new celebrity", Snape said as he worked his way closer to the desks.
Bel would have turned around to see just what Harry had been doing to cause such a reaction from the Professor, but she was too scared he would turn on her instead. And so, she kept her gaze firmly to the front.
"Tell me, what would I get if I added root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Snape asked.
Silence.
"You don't know? Well, let's try again. Where, Mr Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?" Snape pushed again.
"I – I don't know sir", Harry's voice came from behind her.
To Bel, Snape might as well have been speaking Spanish.
And considering Harry and her were in very similar positions, it's no wonder he didn't know the answers.
If anyone did, it would be Hermione.
Bel had learnt quickly in transfiguration that she was a total genius.
"And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape asked once more.
"I don't know sir", Harry answered once more.
"Pity. Clearly fame isn't everything ... is it, Mr Potter? A lesson some others in this class might do well to learn", Snape replied as his eyes once again met Bel's.
She slightly furrowed her eyebrows.
She had been very careful not to push on the sorting ceremony, despite the whispers she had heard.
Being a 'celebrity' wasn't boding well for Harry, and she knew it certainly wasn't what she wanted either.
"Clearly, Hermione knows. Seems a pity not to ask her", Harry snapped back at Snape.
Bel squashed her lips together as she tried to hold back a laugh, being more successful than some of her classmates as giggles started to echo through the room.
"Silence", Snape said which resulted in the room going totally quiet once more.
The professor quickly moved around the left of the front desk and Bel turned round in her chair to see Harry sat with a stern expression and Hermione expectantly raising her hand.
"Put your hand down you silly girl. You. Stand up", Snape said to Hermione and then to Bel.
The two girls immediately did as they were told.
As Bel stood up from her stool, Snape pulled it towards himself and sat down on it to face Harry as Bel leaned back against her desk.
"For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of the Living Dead. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant which also goes by the name of akenite", Snape said quickly as he leaned over the desk towards Harry.
Bel watched out of the corner of her eye as Draco was smiling with satisfaction along with Crabbe and Goyle watching Harry be diminished by their head of house.
"Well ... why aren't you all copying this down?" Snape called out and quickly each student pulled out their books and quills to write down the information he had just given them.
Snape then stood up and pushed the chair back towards Bel, giving her a glare as he did so.
The little Hufflepuff girl was frozen in place under his deathly glare that she didn't dare move.
"Didn't you hear what I just said, Miss Whitlock? Copy. It. Down", Snape spat before moving back to the front of the classroom.
Ollie and Riley both grabbed one of her arms each and pulled her down in her seat, Ollie sliding her open notebook in front of her as Riley put her quill in her hand.
What would she do without them?
"And Gryffindors, note that five points will be taken from your house ... for your classmate's cheek", Snape added as he sat down at his own desk at the front of the classroom.
Once again, there was faint snickering coming from the Slytherin table as Bel rolled her eyes and started to write notes down.
Potions was certainly not her forte.
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The first-year students were granted breaks in between lessons to ease them into their busy curriculum.
It was at one of these breaks that Bel understood for the first time just how much Seamus Finnigan liked to explode things.
"Eye of rabbit, harp string hum, turn this water into rum", Seamus chanted as he pointed his wand at a goblet filled with water.
Bel had joined Harry, Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table whilst Riley and Ollie decided to head back to their common room.
"Care to tell me what you were up to during that lesson which made Snape go absolutely mental?" Bel asked as she sat down opposite Harry, with Hermione to her right.
"I was taking notes, that's all", Harry defended.
"That's it? He really doesn't like you", Bel said as she opened her textbook to get started on the potions homework the Professor had set them.
"He didn't seem too fond of you, either", Harry retorted as Bel rolled her eyes.
"I don't know what I did wrong. I was listening", she said. It was Harry's turn to roll his eyes.
"What's that?" Hermione asked as she caught sight of the timetable Bel had slipped into her potions textbooks as to not lose it and miss a lesson.
"My timetable", Bel said flatly.
"No ... that lesson. That's not on our timetables", Hermione pointed out.
Harry and Ron leaned over the table to get a better look at what Hermione was getting at.
"Did I forget to mention the lessons I have with Dumbledore twice a week?" Bel said, knowing that her friends won't be too happy that she indeed did.
When Dumbledore told her he would be teaching her at the station, she didn't know just what a huge deal it really was.
And Bel didn't enjoy things involving her becoming a big deal.
"Yes ... yes you did. Lessons with Dumbledore? What's that all about?" Harry asked as he peeked at her timetable.
"I've already told Ollie and Riley this a thousand times, I have no idea. I'll probably find out on ... Wednesday", Bel said as she pointed to the Wednesday slot on her timetable.
"Must be important if it's to do with Dumbledore, the man's a legend. And very busy. You don't think it's got anything to do with what the sorting hat said do you?" Ron asked.
In truth, Bel had come to the conclusion that it had everything to do with what the sorting hat said.
But again, she wanted everyone to forget it ever happened.
She would tell people what her lessons with Dumbledore were about when she knew.
It couldn't be anything important.
"I. Don't. Know", Bel said to Ron. She was so tired of saying those words.
"You'll let us know when you do though, right?" Harry asked.
"Sure. I doubt it'll be anything secretive", Bel said with a shrug of her shoulder as she kept her eyes on her potions homework.
"It's Dumbledore. It'll be secretive", Hermione chimed in from beside Bel.
"Eye of rabbit, harp string hum, turn this water into rum", Bel heard Seamus chant again.
"What's Seamus trying to do to that glass of water?" Harry asked.
"Turn it to rum. He actually managed a weak tea earlier ... before –" Ron started before he was cut off by an explosion.
Bel snapped her head to her left to see Seamus' face covered with soot, smoke surrounding his hair and his eyebrows that had been burnt off.
Everyone around them started laughing but were quickly distracted by the sound of owls screeching above them.
"Ah! Mail's here", Ron said as everyone's heads looked up at the multitude of owls entering the Great Hall.
Each one had various letters and packages attached to their talons, swooping down and dropping them off to the owner.
Hermione got a letter dropped in front of her, as did Ron, along with a newspaper which Harry asked to borrow.
Bel and Harry received no mail, both watching on as everyone around them was gifted things by their families.
"Hey look! Neville's got a Remembrall", the voice of Dean Thomas called out.
Bel looked up to see Neville holding a clear glass ball in his hand.
"I've read about those. When the smoke turns red it means you've forgotten something", Hermione explained as the small glass ball filled up with red smoke in Neville's hand.
"The only problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten", Neville said.
"Where are your robes Neville?" Bel said from across the table, taking quick notice of what it is the boy might be missing.
Immediately Neville looked down and his eyes widened as he realized he had forgotten his robes, running off after thanking her for pointing him in the right direction.
"Hey guys. Somebody broke into Gringotts", Harry whispered to the three people closest to him as he laid the paper down flat on the table.
"The bank?" Bel asked, just to make sure she knew where Harry was talking about.
Harry nodded before saying, "Believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown, Gringotts Goblins are acknowledging the breach but insist nothing was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied earlier that very same day".
Bel, Hermione and Ron all leaned in to be able to hear what Harry was saying.
"That's odd. That's the vault Hagrid and I went to", Harry added.
"Maybe it's a coincidence?" Bel offered.
"Unlikely. But what does it mean?" Hermione responded.
"It can't be good. You said dark wizards or witches. Just count yourself lucky you weren't there today", Bel said as she turned back to her homework.
"Bel, isn't that your owl?" Ron said, causing Bel to look upwards.
Sure enough, Gus had flown in and swooped down, dropping a tiny letter onto her textbook.
Why would she have a letter?
No one from the muggle world would ever write to her, even if they knew she was here.
"Aren't you gonna open it?" Ron added, noticing Bel was zoned out thinking of what it could possibly be.
"I don't get mail. I mean ... I shouldn't get mail. There's no one to send it to me", Bel said as she picked up the small envelope and opened it.
Inside was a singular piece of parchment which was folded over.
When Bel opened it, there was a single scribbled sentence written on the inside.
You're finally here.
"You're finally here. What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked from over her shoulder.
"No idea".
"Who do you think could have sent it?" Harry asked.
"No idea".
"Are you going to keep answering with 'no idea'?" Ron asked.
"No idea", Bel replied as she stood up and gathered her things together.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked after her as she started walking away from the Great Hall.
"No idea!" Bel called back.
All she did know was that note can't have been for her.
But Gus is a well-trained and loyal owl.
He wouldn't have made a mistake.
So that means someone meant to send it to her.
Someone knows she's here.
And they care.
Who?
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The tea is starting my children haha