"Hello everyone— oh! Harry!" Finley giggles as she was pulled into a hug by her brother whom she did not see for at least three months. She missed him too really, but she also can't deny that the work load in Beauxbatons was a double compared to Hogwarts since she took subjects that she didn't take as electives in her third year. She got behind leaving her to deal with her classes on Muggle studies and Divination from the basics to where she is now. She also needed to make sure that her grades were high enough for Headmistress Maxime to allow her to travel with them.
"You said you weren't coming!" Harry scolds not letting go of Finley who he just missed so much that it was worrying.
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I just flat out tell you now would it?" She teases as she sat beside Sebastian who just smiled at her.
"I trust you kept your mouth shut?" She asks Sebastian who wasn't even hiding his sudden interest that Finley grew even more prettier than he last saw her.
"For you? I would stitch my lips to make you happy," he flirts.
"I'm touched, now stuff your face. That grin of yours is unbecoming," Finley laughs before turning to Hermione and Ginny who were too excited to ask her things one by one. Questions flung in left and right, asking her how france was, why she wasn't returning their owls, and how come she was allowed to travel with seventh years.
"I was allowed because I proved my grades to be exceptional enough to have classes with seventh years. At least for the tournament," Finley says which was not entirely a lie, she was capable of teaching herself. Plus there were professors who went with them, it was alright for her to go.
Finley placed her elbows on the table, her palm catching her chin as she talks to her friends. Intrigued with who replaced her godfather in Defence against Dark arts this year in Hogwarts. Not that it was biased, only a little, she doesn't remotely think that anyone can be better than Remus, he gives out chocolate!
"Mad-eye Moody is a legend!" Ron exclaims as he ate his fried chicken enthusiastically, she heard the man before. He was loony as she heard some people say around in Beauxbatons, but no doubt he was good enough to teach in Hogwarts. An ex auror too so that was that.
"Excuse me, are you wanting the bouillabaisse?" A soft sophisticated voice said from behind Ron and Sebastian. They both turned around and was met with a girl from Beauxbatons, blonde and blue eyes, a veela no doubt.
"Salut Fleur," Finley greets the girl smiling at her brightly. During her time in Beauxbatons, she liked how Fleur and her sister Gabrielle welcomed her after her horrible first day. They were the only veela siblings that her roommate Heart liked very much that thy often shared a table in their great hall.
"Salut Finley, do you still want the bouillabaisse?" The girl asked again, Ron was turning purple and star strucked with her that he wasn't able to speak.
"Go on ahead," Harry offered, handing her the dish, Fleur smiling at him thankfully turning back to Finley. "I will see you back in the carriage, oui?"
"Of course, see you," Finley says as she waved good bye to the retreating veela and the dish. It was time for her to reunite with her other friends that she stood up from where she sat, Sebastian following suit.
"Where are you going?" Harry asks curiously, he just got Finley back, he wanted to ask her some more questions.
"I'm going to frighten my friends," she winks at Harry. "I'll catch up with you in the morning," Finley informs before giving Harry one more hug and a kiss on the cheek for the night before skipping to the snake table.
"You know, you didn't have to follow me," Finley tells Sebastian who walked beside her towards the table who had the majority of Durmstrang and Slytherins. "Well, you have to introduce me to your friends."
"You'll know them, Viktor seems to be well acquainted with one of them right now," Finley informs as she looks at the familiar platinum blond who sat next to the quidditch star Viktor Krum.
"Can't really get near Viktor when Poliakoff is just there waiting for the left over wine," Sebastian shrugs as they now neared two Slytherin boys who were bickering about the bouillabaisse, and a piece of tart.
This was something she really missed in Hogwarts, she never had the same sight of two boys fighting for food. Much less a too energetic Theo who would get too excited for anything, and a Blaise who would definitely sass anyone who doesn't know the right outfit to wear for a Hogsmaede trip. She missed these two, that she placed her finger to her lips when two of the Slytherin quidditch players stopped eating and looked at her in shock.
"Will you stop eating my tart, you mongrel! You have bouillabaisse and a bloody cake, why do you want my tart?" Blaise complains moving away his plate of treacle tart from Theo who seemed to be collecting all the desserts on the table. Where does he store all these sweets? No one knew.
"You took the last tart!"
"Well it's not my fault—"
"Merlin, just kiss and get married. Do us all a favour!" A gigglish laugh came behind them, too familiar to be mistaken as a mimic. Snapping their gazes behind them, oh merlin was it a sight.
"Finley," Blaise was the first one to stand and lift her as if she was nothing, who knew being deprived of a friend with turn two respectable boys into puppies. "My god! You bitch how dare you let us believe you weren't coming!"
"You had us all sad!"
"France has been good to you."
Finley blushed at the last comment for it didn't come from her friends, they came from someone else. Turning to where that someone sat, he was looking at her in awe, because he knew she was beautiful, this must be the pinnacle of her beauty. That or he has just forgotten how radiant she was.
"Hello to you too Draco," Finley greeted with a smile before being pulled by her two best friends to sit beside them on the table. Treating her like she was still part of Slytherin, offering her food she loved, asking her things she has done in france. And making her laugh, making her feel like she never left. It was wonderful she wanted it to be the same thing again, but of course that could never happen.
"Did you receive the parchment and the quill I sent you? Because if you have then why the bloody hell did you not send us letters about you coming!" Theo scolded her.
"Well it won't be a surprise then now would it?" Finley grinned taking a piece of cake from Theo's pile of desserts.
"Have you received my mother's gift for you on your birthday? The woman won't stop pestering me about it."
"I have, I'll write her myself as thanks."
"You had us all believe that you weren't coming, very sneaky of you," Draco compliments now attention completely turned towards her.
"It wouldn't be a surprise now would it?" She grins at him, not going to say it to his face but she missed him too in some way.
"Let's catch up, what have you been doing over there?" Draco asked Finley because he was a curious bugger that he is. But alas, not everything was going their way as a familiar pug faced girl pulled Draco by the arm and proceeded to glare at Finley.
"Why are you here?" Pansy sneered. Normally, Finley would make a sarcastic reply. But seeing as she had just reunited with her best friends and brother, nothing was going to dampen her mood at this point on.
She smiled brightly at her before standing up and giving her a small hug, for once since she left, Finley admits that she missed Pansy Parkinson. "It's so good to see you too Pansy," Finley says before sitting back down next to Blaise and Theo, leaving the other girl shocked at Finley had just said to her. And it seemed like it was the only surprise that was in stored for the night.
The feast ended, after the protests of the tri wizard tournament for students who were seventeen and above, she wasn't remotely upset about that. At least there was a guarantee that Harry wasn't going to get himself in trouble this year.
"I saw Bazz, that idiot cousin of mine didn't even tell me that he was coming!" Heart says as she ran towards Finley as she just exited the hall. "And he told you! I thought we were friends," Heart pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"At least tell them you have a good looking non veela friend, at least to that handsome yellow neck tied friend of your that you embraced first since we sat in there," Heart suggests thinking back at the handsome boy who smiled politely at her. He was a dream alright, he had no veela blood but he was handsome enough to enchant half the veelas they were with.
"You mean Cedric? He already fancies someone," Finley says remembering the letters she received from Cedric about a Ravenclaw girl just year above her and Harry.
"So that's his name, tell me about him!"
"We'll talk in the morning," Finley says, pulling Heart to walk the halls back to the carriage where they were going to stay in.
"You didn't tell me you had boys here at your disposal," Heart teased as she wiggled her eye brows at Finley. Seeing as her friend Finley was being embraced by multiple boys, she understood that the table full of red neck tied students was where her brother was. But the table of green neck ties shocked her as she saw Finley was lifted and spun around, romantic gesture.
"They're my best friends," Finley says, she loved Blaise and Theo to bits for sure. She most certainly hated being a part from them and this was the longest she's been apart from them. Seeing as she only saw them during the world cup before the terrorist attack by death eaters.
"But that Blond one couldn't keep he's eyes off you! Even with that god awful looking girl clutching onto him like a leech, he still stared at you!"
"Heart shut up," Finley mumbles growing a little red. She did her best to not make eye contact on Draco, especially after the goodbye she made and the encounter at the cup. She didn't really think that Draco was looking at her, someone like him? She's prettier than Pansy that's for sure, but someone like Draco?
"Oh! I do hope you two get together!" Heart pauses. "I do also admit that you and Bazz look good together—"
"Cœur!" Finley glares at her friend, her cheeks burning even more, she never thought of Sebastian that way. At least not until Heart pointed it out.
"God you're a mess," Heart laughs, now she was the one pulling the red faced Finley to the carriage, outside was Madame Maxime smiling at the girls.
"Good evening madame," both girls greeted before going in the spacious carriage, but Finley was stopped by the headmistress.
"Mademoiselle Potter?"
"Yes Headmistress?" Finley asked, crossing her fingers that it wasn't about how she was going around the tables in Hogwarts being unladylike. The headmistress smiled down at her, putting up her hand revealing the necklace that had the three headed snake sigil. Her eyes widened at the sight of it, she forgot to put it back on, she was too excited to see her friends that evening that she forgot it.
"You mustn't forget this," the woman said, placing the necklace in her hands. "It helps you, does it not?"
Finley nods her head, never has she slept without it. She showered with it too, but it just so happens that she didn't notice it missing having been too caught up with her friends.
"Thank you Madame," Finley thanks as she curtsied before walking inside the carriage, putting on the amulet. After she left Hogwarts back in May, Dumbledore asked her to always have the necklace around her neck, she didn't know why, she didn't bother to ask. She just did. Truthfully she slept fine when she wears it, though she was still having these dreams but they were completely tamed as they were just places she's never been to. Even if she did take some draught of dreamless sleep, due to her constantly taking if in her third year she became immune to its affects. But now she's done her occlumency training, she was finally able to block down the negative emotions that triggered the pains in her.
She got in a room in the carriage, still surprised that the carriage had a big enough room to house students and a giantess headmistress. Magic was so many things and even if Finley grew up knowing about it like Harry, she was just as amazed by it as he was. She took off her uniform, slipping on a pair of shorts, Heart was already fast asleep clutching on to the thick blanket provided for them. She turned slightly in front of the mirror to see a spiralling snake on her shoulder.
She didn't learn about that until a few months in Beauxbatons when Heart saw her change, she spent years with it not knowing that she had it. It explained why she was in agony from that spot to her whole arm, she consulted the headmistress with it but to her luck the woman didn't know anything about not it's origins.
Slipping on the shirt she had on her hands, putting on some knee socks to warm her leg, she crawled in her bed, curling herself into a ball clearing her head. Hand clutch onto the amulet she now wore.
She doesn't known if it was a good thing that she was back at all.