Sneak | Harry Potter

I

one | 01.
RETURN TO HOGWARTS.

    The Great Hall brimmed with energy on the first night of term, the low hum of conversation occasionally broken by bursts of laughter or the scrape of golden goblets against tables.

    Above, the enchanted ceiling mirrored the night sky, an inky black expanse dotted with stars that glimmered faintly.

    The long tables were packed, house banners hanging proudly overhead.

    Golden light from floating candles bathed the room in a warm glow, but the brightness did little to soften the undercurrent of unease that lingered in the air.

    Whispers of the Ministry's interference at Hogwarts had reached even the younger students, though few dared to speak openly about it.

    At the Ravenclaw table, Marietta Edgecombe sat beside Cho Chang, her closest friend, though the latter seemed only half-present.

    Cho's back was as straight as ever, the result of years of her mother's lessons on poise and propriety, but her dark eyes scanned the room with a kind of restless energy.

    Marietta shifted in her seat, picking idly at the gold-embroidered hem of her sleeve as Headmaster Dumbledore rose at the staff table, raising a hand for quiet.

    "I beg a few moments of your attention," he began, his voice steady and rich with wisdom, "as I have a few start-of-term announcements."

    The murmurs and clinking of goblets subsided, all eyes turning toward him.

   "Now," he started, "We have two staffing changes this year. Professor Grubbly-Plank will be taking the post of Care of Magical Creatures as Professor Hagrid is on... temporary leave."

    A ripple of whispers swept through the hall at this, soft and fleeting. Marietta raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Cho.

    "I hope Hagrid's alright." Cho whispered, her voice barely audible. Her face betrayed the concern she usually kept carefully hidden, and her gaze darted across the room.

    Marietta didn't need to follow it to know where it landed.

    At the Gryffindor table, the Boy Who Lived sat with his usual group, though his expression was noticeably tense as he whispered to his friends.

    His black hair, perpetually messy, cast shadows over his face in the flickering candlelight.

    He didn't appear to be listening to the announcements, his green eyes distant as if weighed down by thoughts only he could see.

    Marietta's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer than she intended, her mind turning over the endless stories and whispers she'd heard about the boy.

    She didn't understand Cho's infatuation, nor did she care to.

    Harry Potter seemed to attract trouble like a moth to flame, and Marietta had no interest in being singed by the fallout.

    "Honestly, Cho, he's trouble." She said, turning back to her friend, though her voice lacked its usual bite.

    But Cho didn't reply, and Marietta found herself feeling, for reasons she couldn't quite name, unsettled.

    "Additionally, we have Professor Umbridge, who has kindly agreed to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts—"

    A soft, high-pitched clearing of the throat interrupted Dumbledore mid-sentence. The room fell into a momentary hush, the once lively murmurs of students pausing as eyes shifted toward the staff table.