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"Welcome!" Professor Albus Dumbledore greets — or as Hope like to call him Professor Dumbles. The girl and her brother Harry are pretty close to him, always have been! He's like a mentor for them, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say before we become befuddled by our excellent feast. I am particularly looking forward to the flaming kiwi cup, which while somewhat treacherous for those of us with facial hair. . ."
Minnie cleared her throat.
Hope looked around the hall, it was filled with hundreds of children and tables covered with massive amounts of food. The first years all tapped their feet anxiously against the floorboards. The Professors all listened to Dumbledore. She turned her head over to the Hufflepuff table, catching her best friend Atlas' eye as she sends him a wide smile and a wave earning one back.
As she turns away from the boy, she looks across to the other side of the Hufflepuff table where most of their eyes are looking over towards her. She flickers her eyes away, pretending not to notice as she holds back a smug smile, leaning back on the table, her legs tucked out of the table and crossed together.
She knew she was popular, she wasn't stupid. She also knew she had a lot of attention. Whether it be from being the schools best prankster or 'the girl who lived' or the most amazing quidditch player to ever exist. She didn't know — but she loved it.
Most of the time anyways, sometimes it can get a bit too much.
She felt a nudge in her ribs, turning her head Hope makes eye contact with the girl sitting next to her. Hermione nods towards the Professor before gesturing to clap along.
She sighed with an eye roll before clapping once, giving the girl a sassy smile, before turning away after.
"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Minister of Magic business."
He paused and Hope remembered what Father Weasley had told her about and how Dumbledore wasn't too happy with the dementors around the school. Her eyes flickered over to where her brother was sitting, making eye contact with the girl before sending her a knowing nod — them both thinking the same thing.
"They are stationed at every entrance to the ground," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by trickles and disguises — or even invisibility cloaks," he added blandly causing Hope, Harry and Ron to share a look of disbelief as hermione agreed with the headmasters words, "It is not in the nature of a dementor to be understanding pleading or excuses. I, therefore, warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects and our new headboy and girl, to make sure no student runs afoul of the dementors," he said.
Percy, who was sitting a few seats down from Hope, puffed out his chest again and stared around impressively. Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound.
"On a happier note, I'm pleased to welcome Professor R.J Lupin who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Good luck to you Professor."
The statement earned a scattered, mainly enthusiastic response. Some clapped and some didn't. Only those in the compartment on the train with Professor Lupin called hard, Hope and Harry among them. Professor Lupin looked particularly shabby next to the other teachers who are dressed in their best robes.
"Hell yeah! My new favourite Professor, go Lupin!" Hope calls out over the applause as she cups her hands over her mouth to make herself louder.
"Yes, Miss Potter. We thankyou for your commentary. Now, you know you need to refer to your Professors in the correct manner." Mcgonagall stated as she tried to hide her smile that was begging to escape. Snape however didn't hide the sneer directed towards Hope and Lupin.
Professor Lupin covers his mouth to muffle his laughter from the conversation. Professor Mcgonagall being the only one who heard it, rolled her eyes as she holds back her own lingering smile before giving him a knowing look.
"Whatever you say Minnie!" Hope calls out, the hall erupted in laughter. The teenage girl on the other hand, took no notice of the halls laughter, too busy winking, grinning or nodding at any boys or girls that had been staring at her with dazed looks.
Harry sees this and rolls his eyes in annoyance before smacking the back of her sister's head making her look over to him with a look of annoyance.
"Have you finished with your daily dose of soaking up the attention?" Harry says sarcastically with a laugh.
"Nearly. ." She says with pettiness — she was done but her brother saying that made her not wanting to prove him right — she looks around for a few more seconds before sneakily resting her arm over Hermione's shoulder who is sitting next to her, leaning most her weight against the girl.
"Get off, Potter." She says as she keeps her gaze at the front of the hall whilst pushing off the girls arm making her pout before also moving her gaze to the front.
"Thankyou, Miss Potter for the entertainment!" Dumbledore said, amusement clear in his face as he holds back a large smile.
"Anytime Dumbles, glad I could help!" She retorts with a grin, sending the man a mocking wink which sent the hall erupting into deep laughter as the girl too lets out a sheepish laugh at the sight.
She was about to say something towards her brother before turning around, hearing a loud pstt from behind her.
She looks behind her shoulder to come face to face with the blonde ferret looking boy. The king of ferrets as she liked to say.
"Potters! Potters!" Draco started, "is it true you two fainted?" Causing Malfoy friend from beside him to do a mock faint, "I mean you both actually fainted?" He wondered with a sly smirk.
She scowled at the boy before turning her eyes towards his friends sitting with him. There say Theordore Nott, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. Pansy sent her a fierce glare making Hope send her one twice as deadly making the pug-face-toad turn away.
Pansy always hated Hope, and Hope always hated Pansy. It all started when the Slytherin was spreading rumours about the girl earning a bruised face from said-girl.
Hope never understood why Nott and Zabini hung out with Malfoy and Parkinson. Out of the four, them two were the nicest out of them all. They weren't rude towards her and actually were funny people. Especially Theo who had changed over the years.
His jawline tightened and he had grown his hair out. He also had seemed to have tanned, maybe he went on holiday? Due to his darkened skin, his freckles that the Potter didn't know he had before, popped out, faintly covering his face. He had definitely hit puberty.
As he caught her eye, he sent her a soft smile earning a grin with a welcoming nod before she looked over at Blaise to see he was already looking at her.
She sends another grin towards the other Slytherin making him smile back uncontrollably before turning away from the girl making her confused before she turns back to the blonde boy.
"Shove off Malfoy!" Ron sneered at the boy, the attention from the Potter twins going directly onto their best friend.
"Did you faint aswell, Weasley?" Draco asked loudly, "Did the scary old dementor frighten you too Weasley?"
Draco continued to laugh as his friends cackled along side him. Hope who had enough of their taunts, stood up grabbing her wand threateningly making him shrink but before the potter knew it her hand was empty.
The girl sitting next to her took her wand whilst giving her a stern look, "Sit back down, Hope." Hermione orders making the girl roll her eyes before sitting down with a sigh of annoyance.
"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our magical creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place has been filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his game keeping duties."
All four of them looked at one another in utter shock, that soon turning into glee as they applaud loudly. Hagrid was their Professor for the year, brilliant!
Hagrid had his red face hidden by his enormous hands.
"We should've known!" Ron roared whilst pounding the table, "Who else would have assigned us a biting book?"
"Well I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"
Ron wasted no time before scoffing down all the food in him sight causing the Hermione beside him to look at him in disgust. Harry saw the interaction and rolled his eyes before filling his plate with food before eating his meal.
Hope on the other hand struggled a lot with food, only Harry knew this. It's due to their home life as children but Harry soon adapted to eating food correctly.
Hope on the other hand. . Let's just say it's something. It's not that she hates food it's the opposite actually — despite the fact she's a picky eater as well, she loves food, just hates eating.
She looks towards her plate to see her brother putting on some of her favourites in small amounts before pouring some gravy on top making her smile at the gesture. She mouths a thankyou to the boy before slowly nibbling on the food, taking it in one bite at a time.
As she finishes her meal she looks over at the ravenclaw and spots her friend Annalise, giving her s smile, Hope earned a amusement filled wink back from the Gilbert girl, she then sent one back before turning away at the feeling of someone throwing a piece of food at the girl.
Hope looks towards where the bread was thrown to see Ginny her best friend smiling at her, her annoyed look turning into pure happiness, "GINNY!" She screamed out, getting up and dragging the girl to sit beside her, ignoring the stares from the rest of the hall.
"Where the bloody hell were you?" She said with an annoyed look making the girl give an apologetic look to.
"I was with this girl I met— Luna Lovegood!" Ginny says with a smile, "She's in my year and she's actually pretty cool!"
"Luna? Is she the blonde one with a high pitched voice— in ravenclaw?" Hope recalls making her best friend quickly nod at the fast recognition.
"Omg! I've seen her around the school she gave me her notes once when she saw I was struggling!" Hope recalls, smiling slightly at the memory.
"She's an angel." Ginny says as she takes a carrot from the girls plate that hadn't been touched.
"She really is— just don't be replacing me missy!" Hope warns as she pokes her finger mockingly at the girl.
"I would never! Anyway you would never allow me too either— you would just keep coming back!" Ginny says through her laughter making the girl pout in offence before slowly shrugging whilst nodding.
"True!" She says with a proud grin before eating the rest of her meal — not even thinking twice about it.
The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and conversations. The clattering of knifes and forks as they ate. The slight slurping of the water as they drink. Soon enough it was the end of the night and the golden quartet + Ginny walked off to bed with a tired look across their faces.
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