{Great Hall, Hogwarts}
"Welcome," Dumbledore said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin
our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
Resisting the urge to shake my head at his ridiculous statement, I watched in anticipation as the table in front of me was suddenly filled with food. I remember a fanfic theory that the four words were just the names of four house elves in charge of getting the food on the table.
'Which looks quite likely, or there was an illusion cast on the food that hid the food,' I thought as I reached for the food that had somehow appeared on my table. I grabbed some roast chicken legs and placed them on my table. I reached for some mashed potatoes and stopped as another fair hand grabbed the plate first.
"Oh, go on, Harry," Lavender said, smiling shyly. I debated for a second, then listened to my stomach and filled my plate with mashed potatoes, rice, and gravy.
With food on the table, I listened to the conversation around me: "You reckon we can get into the Quidditch team?" Asked a boy who had light freckles on his face. He was sitting next to Hermione. "Oh, I'm Seamus Finnigan, by the way. Nice to meet you all."
'Why am I not surprised that their first concern is Quidditch?' I shared a look with Hermione, who shook her head in exasperation. We had spent some time around Diagon Alley over the summer, so we knew what Quidditch was.
'A sport that makes zero sense,' Hermione had said upon learning that catching the snitch would give 150 points and end the game. An odd rule, but considering the sport was J.K.'s brainchild, it's the best we could have gotten.
"I don't think so, there hasn't been a first year in the team in like... I dunno decades or so," Fred or George Weasley replied. The Weasleys were sitting quite close to where the first years sat.
"It would be wicked though," Ron replied with a grin, "Do we get to go to tryouts?" He asked his brothers.
"Now slow down, ickle Ronnikins," Fred/George teased as Ron turned red at his nickname being exposed, "...you need to first pass the flying class."
"...And pray none of you got spashed like a grape on the floor," Fred/George continued, "...it could be a nasty way to go." The other took over as he leaned in to stage-whisper, "... the school brooms are very old, so there could be... accidents from time to time."
I could see the amusement in their eyes, but the rest of the students stopped eating, looking genuinely afraid. Suppressing a snort, I asked, "So when do classes start anyway?"
Fred and George both did a double-take, eyes wide, before breaking into conspiring grins. "It seems like the sorting hat misplaced a raven among us, Fred."
"Right, you are, George. Do you think we should hide him before Prof. Flitwick finds out and fights Prof. McGonagall for him?" Fred replied as I was finally able to tag onto their names, at least for now.
The teasing and talking continued as the twins kept the atmosphere light. I tried not to make eye contact with either Snape or Dumbledore throughout the meal, but I did catch Draco looking at me blankly.
Sticking to my plan not to antagonize anyone for now, I raised my goblet in a silent toast. After a few moments of freezing, the blond raised his own. At the same moment, I caught sight of Daphne looking at me with a strange expression.
'I wonder how much she knows about the stuff her mother and father are up to,' I thought as I refocused on the conversation, which had somehow moved on to our families. I didn't contribute much, so I finished my food in silence and grabbed a slice of chocolate ice cream for dessert.
I listened to Finnigan's tale of his father getting duped and Neville's fears that his nan thought he was a squib. Hermione shared that her parents were dentists, which made me doze off for a moment as I thought about last night with Emma.
The food vanished from in front of us along with the goblets and plates as Dumbledore finally stood up. He wore almost orange robes that looked ridiculous, not the first impression I would have gone for in his position, but then again, the goofy grandfather act worked for him in canon.
"Ahern... just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you." He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, then spoke. His voice was aged, though surprisingly strong.
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed toward the Weasley twins. They puffed up with pride at the reminder, having achieved something they considered precious.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Also, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." He finished his list of notices with a nod, as if he'd said something trivial.
"Is he barmy?" I heard Ron mutter, and George quickly hit me on the head.
'So the plot for the first year is still on. I wonder how it would turn out if I simply refused to be baited into going to save the stone.' I thought as Dumbledore continued.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore exclaimed, and I got to watch the worst excuse of a choir performance ever.
I looked at Hermione, who was looking at Dumbledore in disbelief. Over the summer, she had developed a bit of reverence for his many accomplishments. Now I could see that belief crumbling away as Dumbledore acted like his usual self in front of everyone.
'Please tell me I lucked out and this is a good grandfatherly version of the character and not the evil manipulator behind the scenes...'
Personally, I don't like or hate Dumbledore's character. Sure, I hate some... okay, most of his choices, but then again, he wasn't really doing it to profit from Harry's misfortune or anything. Maybe he could have played his cards a bit differently and not tried to plan everything, acting like he was above everyone.
What I hate is his Houlier-than-thou attitude, like not using the Killing Curse against the Death Eaters, plus most fanfictions have ruined him into an unlikable character.
'Surely that's not the case here,' I thought, avoiding eye contact with the old man. I don't want him reading my thoughts about fanfictions after all.
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AN: Some parts of my PC are here, and it's manageable for now, so we can get back to our daily release schedule.
P.S.: 28+ advanced chapters on P.atreon: p,atreon.com/AndreaHodges