My first day at Hogwarts was a whirlwind. My very first class was Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs, taught by Professor Ludwick, a new addition to the staff.
It was followed by History of Magic with Professor Binns, who was a ghost who droned on and on. We had that class with the Slytherins.
After lunch, we had Charms and Transfiguration, both with the Gryffindors, and taught by Professors Flitwick and McGonagall respectively.
Our last class of the day was Astronomy, with the Slytherins again, taught by Professor Pallas.
Thankfully, none of the teachers gave me any special treatment, although we did get homework from each and every one of them. It was simple, mostly small paragraphs or research assignments, with the odd practical addition.
I spent my night slaving through it all, not willing to let it pile up and catch up to me. I wasn't the only one with those intentions, by no means, as the common room was full of students hurriedly finishing assignments.
Some worked in small groups, but most - like me - worked alone. A few of the older students seemed to be racing each other to see who could finish their work the quickest.
Victoria was one of them.
In fact, she was already finished and was now chatting animatedly with one of her friends. I looked at them wistfully for a few moments, wishing that any of my possible new friends were in the same house as me.
But, they weren't, and there wasn't much I could do about it. I returned to my work, scribbling down the last few sentences of my Charms assignment, and then slipped my homework, quill, and ink pottle back into my bag.
I shouldered it and began to make my way through the mess of people.
"Hey, Frey'." Victoria said as I passed her.
"Yeah?" I asked quietly, pausing and turning to face her.
"We're going to see who can transfigure our quills better. Want to join?" she offered.
"No, thank you." I refused, flashing her a small apologetic smile before turning away.
I made it all the way to my dorm without any other interruptions. I dropped my bag next to my trunk. Pepper was curled up on my bed and opened one eye when I came in. She yawned widely and stretched out, flexing her tiny paws.
I laughed, leaning over to pat her head.
"I'm not going to be able to get into bed, am I?" I asked her.
She purred in response, which I took as a firm 'no'. I gave her one last pat before I stood up to get ready for bed.
Thankfully, by the time any of my classmates reached the dorm, I had already showered and changed, and was curled up under my covers - having nudged a very disgruntled Pepper to the side so I could get in - reading a book called 'Fact or Fiction: The Truth Behind Muggle's Beliefs'. My father had got it for me so I would 'better understand muggles', in his words, 'while at the same time learning about my own history'.
At least it wasn't another arithmancy book, because I swear, if I got another one of those, I would... well, I don't know what I would do, but I didn't want anymore.
"Cute cat."
I looked up to see one of my classmates, Quinn, sitting on the edge of her bed watching me. I shifted slightly, causing Pepper to let out a meow of protest.
"Yeah, she's pretty cute," I said quietly.
"What's her name?" Quinn asked.
"Pepper."
YOU ARE READING
Broken Feathers || Marauders Era
FanfictionFor Freya Sallow, it seemed like she had the worst luck in the world. She was born into a high achieving pureblood family, with sky-high expectations of her from the moment she opened her eyes. Her mother died when she was young, leaving her to be r...
