Mudblood | Pansy Parkinson

Second Year~ Chapter 12

The sun was setting in the horizon, the sky was scattered with velvet clouds that were pink, orange and a faded yellow.
Hannah, Manuel, Justin and Bridget were sat on a wall at the back of Susan's garden. It looked over a large field. You could see the twisting road that lead towards the motorway. The trees behind them hid them from the huge house. It was too hot for late August.

The summer had been eventful. They had all taken turns at one and others houses for a week, they all agreed to stay at Susan's last as she lived closest to London. Susan came back with a tray of butter beer.
"Thanks Susan!" The group said, picking up a butter beer each.

It was hard to believe that summer was over, for Bridget it had felt like it only just begun. Tomorrow they would be on the train to Hogwarts and a new year would begin. She was apprehensive about going back and having to face Malfoy and his sheep, but she was more nervous to even be near Pansy. What happened before summer felt like days ago, and the pain she felt still burned her skin despite the fact the bruises had healed. Bridget didn't yet understand her feelings, she shouldn't be this upset over a horrible little girl anyways. She had her friends, she had Manuel.
Her group had gotten closer than ever over summer. Though Justin felt a little guilty for leaving Zach out but it was his own fault, he had been talking about all of them behind their backs to his now third year friends. He thought he was above them, so they decided to distance themselves from him.

"I wish summer could last forever..." Bridget muttered.

•••

The knight bus arrived early in the morning. It was packed with several students heading to Hogwarts. The group piled on. Bridget was nervous about being on the bus, Manuel just told her to hold on. They plopped themselves on the seats, Anthena curled on Bridget's lap. She wrapped one arm around the cat and one arm around the chair.
Stan Shunpike threw the luggage on the bus before the driver took off.
Bridget squeezed her eyes shut as her chair shot backwards which caused Manuel to howl with laughter.

This was not going to be a pleasant journey.

•••

The journey was over in less than a minute. Bridget felt like she was going to be sick.
She stumbled out of the bus and hurled. Manuel pulled her hair out of her face and rubbed her back.
"Never again!"

"You'll get used to it." He laughed.

She groaned.

"It happens to the best of us," Justin said nudging her with her elbow.
Justin and Hannah headed off to go get trollies to put their luggage on.
They loaded their luggage on two trollies. They were piled high and it took two people to push it as hard as possible through the wall.

"Merlin's beard that weighs a tone!" Susan groaned as they passed the wall.

"Need a hand ladies?" Cedric asked

"Yes please," Susan cooed. Diggory motioned to his friends to help, giving the girls a wink.

"Damn flirt Diggory." Manuel hissed.

"Your just jealous," Bridget giggled

"Of him? I don't bloody think so!"
But he was. He didn't understand why Diggory was so special, why he was so charming. But he was determined to find out his ways.

"I hope this year is better than last," Bridget confessed to Manuel.

He smiled at her "it will be, we're more familiar with the school now and we aren't the babies anymore. The new ones are. Things will be a lot better this year."
But Bridget wasn't entirely sure it would be, it was Hogwarts after all. Anything could happen.

The piled onto the train, they were pretty earlier so they had pick of where they got to sit.

They all got comfortable. Bridget pulled out a book she was reading, 'The Eyes of the Dragon' Stephan King. It was hard to find fiction books in the library, she discovered that last year and so she had brought her own. She had been reading this for a couple of weeks now and she was towards the end. She wasn't particularly enjoying it but she didn't hate it either. Just something to pass the time. 

By the time they had arrived at Hogwarts she had finished what was left of her novel and they were all sat playing cards. Bridget was thankful that Zach hadn't showed up and asked to sit with them. She was sure he was sat with his third year friends. 

The excitement reached ten fold as they all clambered onto the carriages led by nothing. 
"I can't wait to see Gilderoy Lockhart in person! I missed the signing." Susan whispered to Hannah. Susan's cousins where visiting from Ireland so she hadn't went to Diagon Alley that day, she went a few days after.

"You weren't missing on much, he is a self-absorbed pig!" Manuel butted in before Hannah could open mouth. 
For once Bridget agreed with him, their experience had been great. Lockhart barely even greated him. 

"Shut it you!" Susan said, rolling her eyes and playfully shoving him "You don't like any male that is deemed attractive."

"That's not true," Manuel replied "I like myself and I am beyond attractive."

"Talk about self-absorbed" Hannah snickered. 

They took their places in the great hall before all the first years arrived. Lockhart was sat smiling at the students. Loving the yells of his name and all the attention. McGongall drew a face at him, she did not have any respect for him either. Dumbledore whispered something to Snape as McGonagall hurried off to collect the the first years who would be standing just outside the great hall, chattering nervously amongst themselves. 

"I mean just look at him!" Susan cried 

"Susie stop! No. Gross he's an old man" Bridget laughed shaking her head. 

"And?" she responded, which resulted in Manuel fake gagging. 

"Look at his hair, I just want to run my hand through it. Its so bouncy and shiney!" Hannah said.

Manuel and Bridget gave each other a look of disgust. 

Snape strolled away as the first years strolled in, there small nervous faces glancing around. Some even looked absolutely prettified and others remained indifferent. Bridget was just happy to no longer be at the bottom of the food chain. She, like everyone else were eagar to discover the new recruits to their houses. Of course it was mostly obvious who would go where, those with older siblings were usually filed in with them, the majority of those with surnames of the sacred 28 were placed in Slytherin, although that wasn't always the case. 

The hall filled with claps and cheers then silence when the next name was called. The process was repeated until there was no one left and the feast began. 
Bridget piled food onto her plate, Hogwarts food she missed. Hogwarts food was magic. 
As desert came around she dared peak a glance to Pansy who sat between Malfoy and Bulstorde, that whole group were laughing at a first year. 

Pansy had gotten spotty over the summer, puberty had hit her. But she was still captivating to Bridget. Pansy looked up at her and their eyes locked for a moment, only for a moment. Bridget thought her heart would leap out of her chest, whether that be out of excitement, fear or anger she could not yet tell. Her face burned and she looked away. 

How am I going to survive?