Beautiful Lies

Chapter III

❛ A Riddle not only by name but by nature as well  ❜

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           Cara could hear the other girls chattering as they moved around the dorm, peeling her eyes open slowly she was quickly overcome by the brightness of the Hufflepuff dormitories. Was it already morning?

           She had never been a naturally early riser, coming tardy instead of early whenever the orphanage held morning lessons.

           "I was wondering when you would wake up, three girls came knocking some time ago saying they wanted to do your hair." One of the girls told Cara, pulling her own hair into a neat bun at the nape of her neck. "I told them you were freshening up so you might want to hurry down."

            Cara gave the girl a smile that was laden with sleep as she pushed herself up from the warmth of the covers. Changing into her Hogwarts robes, she quickly picked up the clothes she had thrown the night before, placing them haphazardly into her trunk.

            "Look at what the cat dragged in," Stella said. "You really do take quite some time to get ready."

            "Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting." Cara apologized.

            Joyce waved her concerns away. "Come now, you promised we could do your hair." Her eyes were already fixed on Cara an excited gleam in her eyes as the young girl sat down in front of her.

            It was perhaps the most suspenseful ten minutes of her short life. She could hear Joyce, Liliana and Stella whispering and she was sure she saw one of them pull out their wand from the corner of her eye.

            "Alright, you can look now," Liliana spoke, her voice alight with excitement as she handed Cara a small handheld mirror.

             Cara gasped as she saw her hair in the mirror, tilting her head so she could see the back. "It's..." She trailed off awestruck, lifting a small hand to touch the carefully constructed braid.

             "Magical?" Stella offered, a proud smile adorning her face as Cara continued to gape at her reflection.

             Her hair was pulled into an intricate braid and little daffodils had been threaded throughout, seeming to only be held up by magic. "It's beautiful," Cara agreed, smiling widely as she quickly hugged each of the girls in turn.

              "Anything for our little Daffy," Joyce said fondly, holding the young girl for an additional second before letting go.

              Once the common room began filling up, Liliana led the way to the Great Hall occasionally pausing to point out the especially kind paintings that would help young students who had lost their way.

              "Breakfast is always the best meal of the day," Joyce said as they all took their seats, the Hufflepuff table seeming to already hum as the students started filling their plates. Cara could already see a few had their plates filled to the brim, and she was quick to follow their lead as she pulled a colourful assortment of food onto her own plate.

              "When do you think Professor Kettleburn will give us our schedules?" Stella asked as the Great Hall started filling up. "I want to see what classes I'm in this year."

              "Talking about me so early in the morning Stella?" Professor Kettleburn was a middle-aged man with brown hair that was streaked through with grey. His most distinguishing feature by far was the hook that had replaced one of his hands. Upon catching her stare the professor gave the young girl a wink. "I would not recommend getting near the eggs of an Occamy."