Chapter 8: Meeting the Girls.

The sun peaked over the trees of the forest on the school grounds, the sky was filled with red light from the sunrise happening outside my dorm window where I was sitting with the duvet of my four poster covering me while I sat on the floor. Lynx was watching the sunrise from my arms, purring while I stroked her soft head between her big ears and his amber eyes blazed happily. I looked up at the clock hanging on the dorm wall which read 06:15 meaning I had at least an hour and forty-five minutes until breakfast was served. I had already been up for at least an three hours sitting in the same spot I was in now (after getting showered while no one was using it) but before the sun came up I was reading my favourite book: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Although I knew I would have to wait until third year before I could take Care of Magical Creatures as a subject I still chose to read it and teach myself about the creatures although I hadn't met many. Thanks to my father working in the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures I had met many creatures he had brought in. For example I had met: Bowtruckles, Crups, Gnomes, Imps, Pixies, Salamanders and of course a kneazle considering one's laying in my arms right now. Since I was young I had always been in love with magical creatures, I often looked at pictures in books or ones my father brought back from work and even now he would still do it to my satisfaction. However now I was at Hogwarts it wasn't likely for me to see the photos very often. He could send them over via the family owl (Hope wasn't happy when he first brought it home years ago but she learned to love it) but he wouldn't want the pictures to get in the wrong hands especially when someone could think that he is planning to set them loose especially after the incident that appeared in the prophet the day I got my Hogwarts letter. Lynx looked up from the sunrise and licked my cheek, her eyes shew not only mischief but also playfulness whereas mine shew tiredness and curiosity. It was obvious I had been awake for hours already and that was only because of what I spoke to Remus about last night. The questions were running through my head again, the same ones I have been questioning since I had got my Hogwarts letter. When I would get the answers I wanted for all the questions, I didn't know but when Remus and I visit the library this weekend I hope at least some are answered.I continued to sit on the floor by the window until a series of alarms all set off at once, one for each of the four posters (excluding the empty one). They all were shut off one by one including mine which Lynx pounced on, luckily not knocking on the floor. One of the girls with blond hair sat up in bed along with a Lily (who I recognised from the walk up to Hogwarts) who had flaming red hair, however the other girl with golden locks of hair through the covers back over herself as she lied faced down against her pillow. The first, yawned loudly with her eyes shut until they opened revealing her chocolate brown eyes which instantly landed on me. I quickly turn away and continue too look out of our dorm window but I could feel the girls eyes watching me."So you finally decided to show up, we were waiting ages for you last night?" her voice rang out from the bed furthest from me. I look round to see her smiling wide and eyes wide. The red headed girl from the bed beside mine was standing beside her four-poster with a big grin on her face and even the other girl with golden had sat up in bed to see me.I shrug awkwardly and turn back to my book so I didn't have to speak. Most people who was not friends with me but know of me knew that I barely spoke unless I either had to or felt safe with them. For example, yesterday on the Hogwarts express just proved how silent I could be if there wasn't people I felt safe or trusted around. To put it simply, I'm scared to be betrayed by someone I just let in and tell everything for them to only turn their back on me and I am left with nothing. The red head from the bed beside mine raises a ginger brow, before walking over too me and taking my book out of my hands, I reach up to take it back she lifts it higher. "Come on lighten up and actually speak too us! We are all going to be in the same dorm for the next seven years so lets at least get to know each other, and that means you too Second Scamander". The girl with blond hair smirked as Lily dropped my book onto my four poster. "You know me by that?" I gasp before the three other girls burst into fits of laughter. The golden haired girl was laughing the loudest and rolled of a bed onto the cold wooden floor."Do we know you by the Second Scamander?" she giggled, a bright smile on her face. "You were in the freakin' prophet the next day, did you not see?" I shake my head and she pulls out an old copy of the prophet and flings it over too me. Lynx jumps off of my bed and catches it bringing it over too me, which I take from her. Another Scamander With a Love of Magical Beasts Confirmed!Yesterday down the popular wizarding high street Diagon Alley we are greeted with a young ten year old who is starting at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in early September. While shopping for their school books in Flourish and Blotts accompanied with a set of twins, Meadow Lupin, the only daughter of Lyall Lupin who has been featured in the Daily Prophet before, shew of her talent for magical creatures to the Wizarding World. Young Meadow was given the name of Second Scamander due too the fact that she not only handed some bowtruckles (small, twig-like creatures) but she also memorised their part in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newton Scamander. "When Meadow gave us that bloody explanation on the bowtruffles I must admit I was blown away by her knowledge!" says Fabian Prewett, one of the two twins that was accompanying Meadow around Flourish and Blotts. "Yeah and to think she is only ten years old and starting her first year of Hogwarts like us" added the other Prewett twin, Gideon. After what happened with the bowtruckles, many wonder what will next happen with the Second Scamander. Will she befriend more magical creatures? Will she meet the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? Will she work with Newt Scamander after she has left school? No one knows yet what is in store for this lover of magical creatures...I reread the article with wide eyes before looking back up at the three girls. "I told you so" says the one with Golden hair before she introduced herself as Marlene McKinnon. The girl with flaming red head told me that she was Lily Evans (although I already knew that from James asking her out before we were sorted) and the last was Alice Fortescue. "I'm Meadow Lupin, also known as the Second Scamander but of course you already knew that" I introduce myself to the three and they all smile warmly at me. "Anyway, haven't we got classes today? I think we shouldn't waste anymore time and actually get ready before we are late". They all laugh and one by one, disappear into the bathroom to shower and change into their Hogwarts robes. Instead of going into the bathroom to change, I sit on my fourposter with the curtains shut and within half an hour we are all ready. Alice and Marlene walk out of the dorm ahead of Lily and I while they were talking whereas we were silent. Three quarters down the stairs leading to the common room, I yawn loudly which Lily notices and raises a ginger brow. "I can tell you didn't get much sleep last night you know. I can easily tell considering you up earlier than I expected and you looked wide awake when I first saw you. Plus there are huge bags under your eyes making it look like you haven't slept for years." She smirked at me and I can't help but smirk back looking down at the stairs. "Well your right but I just had too much on my mind I guess" I give a long sigh as we walk into the common room and out of the Fat Lady's portrait into the seventh floor corridor. "Fair enough" Lily giggled as we walk in silence behind Alice and Marlene who were laughing about something. Lily and I however were too busy admiring the castle and the paintings on each wall. We walk down multiple staircases and I may or may not have got stuck in one with a vanishing brick which I had to be pulled out by all three girls until we reached the entrance hall. Many students from every house were entering the Great Hall for breakfast where we followed the crowd and eventually got to Gryffindor table. As we were walking along, I spotted my brother talking with James, Sirius and Peter around him. I tell the others that I would meet them in a minute and approach the boys, before sitting down beside Remus after hitting him round the back of the head."What was that for?" He asked turning to me, with the others smirking in amusement. "Just saying good morning Remmy" I snigger piling my plate with toast and spreading jam on them. "So instead of just coming up to me and saying good morning you decided to whack me round the head"."Well what would be the fun in that, we have got to start the year off with a bang!"As I said the word bang, fireworks flew through every door and window, before bursting into colours of red, yellow, blue and green, one to represent each Hogwarts house. There was a variety of both big and small fireworks everyone's attention was on now. Some people were admiring the bursts of colours with smiles whereas some people weren't as happy and cheerful as they demanded to know who did it. I ruffle Remus' hair while he was looking at the works in wonder before walking over to the girls who were all smiling up at the colours. "It's so beautiful..." murmured Alice on the bench beside me. Her chocolate brown eyes landed on me and she smiles before eating her porridge once again. All of the fireworks and finished their performance and there was nothing left which shew no sign of it happening. All five tables (including the staff table) were whispering amongst themselves most likely asking who done it. Of course no one knew except one now, as Remus looked up at me from further down the table with a smirk. Of course he knew it was me, considering they started as I said 'bang' and walked away. He also knew I am a prankster and about my knowledge using pranking items which no one but our family knew so no one could just pin it on me unless they were family. The four heads of houses (McGonagall for Gryffindor, Sprout for Hufflepuff, Flitwick for Ravenclaw and Slughorn for Slytherin) all stood up from the staff table and walked down beside each of their house tables handing out small slips of paper which I presumed had our timetable on. When Professor McGonagall passed us she handed us all a slip of paper, she gives me a stern smile before walking off down the table. I look down at the parchment to see it is indeed a timetable with this weeks lessons on. I look down the first column to see todays lessons and I must admit they didn't look to bad.Herbology- with HufflepuffsFlying- with SlytherinsDefence Against the Dark Arts- with SlytherinsPotions- with SlytherinsCharms- with RavenclawsOf course we had a break between Flying and Defence Against the Dark Arts and lunch is in between DADA and Potons but I was actually looking forward to today. To some people the only good lessons would be DADA and Flying, but I was looking forward to them all, especially Herbology which I have first. Some magical creatures eat magical herbs and need them for medicines so since I became a fan of fantastic beasts, I had been looking through my father's old textbooks for Herbology from when he came to Hogwarts. Unfortunately I had seen no magical plants nor harvested any but thanks to Hogwarts I could now. From my right, I see Remus and his friends come up to us and sit down beside us. Of course James sat beside Lily and Remus sat beside me while Sirius beside James, and Peter beside my brother. I push my timetable over to Remus who compares it too his and it turns out we have the same lessons. He tells me that Sirius, James and Peter also has most of the same lessons as us and it also turns out that the girls have Potions, Charms, Flying, Astronomy and Defence Against the Dark Arts with us. A bell rings throughout the room and we all get up and leave our empty plates on the table before we start walking out. The whole hall was slowly filing out with Remus, Sirius, James, Peter, Lily, Alice, Marlene and I were near the back of the crowd. The boys and I were trying to push through over to the grounds which luckily worked however we did lose the girls but they had to head up to Transfiguration anyway. We manage to escape the crowds within the Entrance Hall and walk through a courtyard, across the bridge and onto the grounds. I can make out a the tops of many greenhouses which we head too. We walk in the same direction for a few minutes until we arrive at greenhouse one where a small line was entering the greenhouse. A small, plump woman with slightly greying hair was ushering us in and that's when I knew it was time.Time to start learning magic...