Stuck in the Middle

Chapter 10

Before we all got on the train I pulled Harry aside quickly.

"Hey, when you get to the carriages later, don't be afraid okay?" I warned him. I wasn't going to give him context until he understood.

I walked away before he could ask me questions. I slipped in between the boys.

"This is our last year boys. This will be our last first day of school," I said grabbing their hands and giving them a gentle squeeze.

I started to pull them to the train. We needed to find the perfect cart for our last year. I found the perfect one. We slipped in and shut the door behind us.

"Please keep me awake this time. I don't want to miss a thing," I said to them. I sat between them. I had my book ready to read so I could try not to fall asleep.

"If you do fall asleep it's okay," George said.

"We know you've been having trouble sleeping this summer," Fred added. "We all noticed."

"Im fine. Nothing I can't handle," I said with a smile.

"You can tell us if you're still having nightmares."

"It's fine. Plus when you guys are around they don't happen."

"We've noticed that."

"Thats why Mom lets us stay with you sometimes," George said. "She doesn't want you miserable when we can help."

She definitely wasn't wrong about that. I usually had nightmares when they weren't there, and when they weren't around me for a long period of time I started getting depressed. They were the other part of me, without them around it felt bare. I can still function but it's not the same.

We talked a bit more making jokes and making plans for the business for the first few hours. After that, I started reading my book. It was another dirty book. I was halfway through when I fell asleep.

I woke up hours later to the train stopping and us jolting forward. I rubbed my eyes. I looked around and the boys looked like they fell asleep too.

We were now sitting in the Great Hall. The sorting of this year's first-year students has already finished. We were eating and laughing. I noticed a new professor seated at the table. She was wearing all pink. The blood drained from my face. The Twins noticed and gave my hands a gentle squeeze.

Dumbledore stood up ready to say something. Everyone quieted down.

"Good evening, children. Now, we have two changes in staffing this year. We're pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank... who'll be taking Care of Magical Creatures... while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave. We also wish to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... Professor Dolores Umbridge. And I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing the professor good luck." He said a few more words before Umbridge interrupted him with the clearing of her throat.

"Thank you, headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. And how lovely to see all your bright... happy faces smiling up at me. I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends," she said.

"Thats likely," the Twins said in unison.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered... the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each headmaster... has brought something new to this historic school... progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved... perfect what can be perfected... and prune practices that ought to be prohibited," she said ending her speech with a tiny giggle.

She was already giving me a migraine. If I had to keep hearing her giggle like that I might lose my mind.

After the feast, everyone was in the common room when Seamus tried to start something with Harry. I shot Seamus dirty looks.