Inside My Mind (A Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter III

Hogwarts, Unplottable Location, Scotland, Great Britain

"There, look...do you see her?"

"Where?"

"Next to the tall redhead."

"Did you see her face? She's so pretty."

"Who cares! Did you see her scar?"

The whispers made Bella's eyes twitch as she walked out of the portrait hole. She hated being talked about it and it made it even worse as she could hear them. Ron was standing next to her and Hermione was trailing, not far behind.

"Hermione, hurry up," Bella said, not wanting to lose her. Hermione rushed to her side and Ron's expression fell. Hermione offered a slightly strange smile that looked almost vicious. They went down to eat and soon everything was a blur to Bella.

Bella liked Hogwarts. But some of the staff left something to be desired.

Argus Filch.

Bella noticed that Sirius had failed to mention Argus Filch. Filch was the caretaker of Hogwarts and he was the meanest soul Bella had ever met. It didn't help that Bella, Ron, and Hermione had gotten on the wrong side of him on the very first day when trying to force their way through a certain locked door.

The door in question, no need to say, turned out to be the out-of-bounds entrance to the third floor corridor where they were forbidden to go to. And when they had insisted that they had gotten lost he hadn't believed them. They were saved by the most unlikely person.

Tom Riddle. When he had found them, Filch was threatening with them being locked in the dungeons and ranting about the time when corporal punishment was allowed. Bella had been pressed against the wall, trying to edge away from the crazy man when Riddle had come out of nowhere.

"Now what's going on here, Miss Potter? Getting in trouble already?" Riddle had asked, smoothly. Filch had answered instead of her.

"The little brat was trying to get into the third floor when the Headmaster specifically stated it was off limits," Filch had explained. Riddle had barely spared him glance, obviously awaiting Bella's answer.

"It was mistake. I got lost, Professor. And he wouldn't listen" Bella said, throwing Filch at scathing look. She looked down as she heard a meow and flinched when she met the lamp like eyes of Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris.

"I see. I won't take points this time. Now run along, little serpent," he hissed, switching to Parseltongue in the middle of his speech. Hermione stared at Riddle, intrigued. Ron shuddered at the sound of it. Filch flinched but Bella nodded, her jaw set tightly.

"Yes, sir."

She walked away with those two words, not looking forward to another encounter with Filch.

After that encounter, she had found her classes relatively easy. As the days passed, Bella quickly learned that there was a lot to learn about magic besides waving your wand. It was hard to understand the theory but the actual practical part seemed to come natural to her.

On Wednesday nights at midnight she had to go up to the tallest tower and study the night sky in Astronomy. Bella liked this class in particular. Gazing through her silver telescope at the sky was relaxing. The only part she didn't particular appreciate was learning the name of distant planets and stars. There was just so many.

Ron didn't seem to like that class as much as she did. He didn't enjoy classes in general, which irked Hermione to no end and equally amused Bella.