The remaining two weeks leading up to the Christmas break passed uneventfully, with most of Amaris' focus occupied with keeping up with all the extra work she now had. She struggled her way through her Potions Classes; she found that if she stuffed her nose with a tissue to block out most of the smells, it wasn't as bad. But she still barely focused on Snape's words and hadn't so much as attempted a potion yet.
When she had a spare moment she was anxiously awaiting the day of the second Hogsmeade trip with a mix of excitement and dread. She still had the horrible feeling that the whole thing might turn out to be some horrible joke. But after everything Steffan had done for her, she couldn't fully believe that. And in any case, her curiosity at this point was much too strong for her not to go.
On the day, Amaris got up early and dressed in one of the few non-uniform sets of clothes that she had. It consisted of a faded long-sleeved t-shirt underneath a faded short-sleeved t-shirt. Then three quarter length trousers made of heavy cotton material, with numerous pockets. On her feet, she had a pair of worn leather boots. As she was tying her laces, she realised that this was what she had been wearing the day she had had to leave home and she was hit by a fresh wave of homesickness.
Filled with nostalgia, she picked up her coat out of her trunk and hugged it close. She breathed in the smell of home. She hadn't had a chance to wear the coat since she had gotten here but with the term over and the weather being cold, she threw it over her shoulders. The original material of the cost had been a brown tweed but that was virtually impossible to tell from looking at it now. Extra strips of material had been added to the sleeves, across the bottom and down the back. Patches of varying sizes covered most of what was left. The pattern and colour of the added cloth was never the same twice. There was green tartan, purple flowers, orange polka dot and all of it clashed to such an extent that it all went together perfectly.
She had owned it for most of her life and had refused to wear anything else even when she had grown out of it. Kelly could have easily used magic to make it bigger but instead, she had taught her how to fix it and change it by hand. The house-elf had said that if it was so important to her, then it was worth putting the time and effort into. And by the end, you will have a much more precious thing.
Amaris packed her day bag with all the homework she had for the start of next term. There was a lot of it, her bag barely coping. Then she looked herself up and down in the mirror in the dorm bathroom. All of a sudden she felt very nervous. She had never met these people before and she was desperate to make a good impression. She shouldered her bag, took a deep breath and headed out of the dorm.
Like the last time, the school was virtually empty, bar the occasional ghost. Everyone was either at Hogsmeade or still in bed. As she walked down the corridor approaching the library, Steffan appeared out of nowhere and fell into step next to her. He made it seem that they were both there at the same time by chance but Amaris was beginning to know better.
"Did I keep you waiting long?" She asked.
He sighed amusingly. "No."
Amaris turned to him and for a moment thought he was in uniform and was suddenly afraid that she had miss understood him before. But then she realised that he was just wearing something very similar to the uniform. He had smart trousers and shoes, a shirt and a waistcoat. Over the top of this, he had a black duffle coat that came down to the knees and didn't have a speck of dust on it.
They entered the library and Steffan led the way. There were a few groups of students amongst the maze of bookcases but like the rest of the school, it was mostly empty. Amaris looked around trying to figure out which group they were heading to.
"What are these friends of yours like?” she asked, realising that he had never told her anything about them.
At this, he gave a knowing smile and gestured around a bookshelf near the back wall of the library.
YOU ARE READING
The Outcasts Of Hogwarts
Fanfiction"I know you know what I am, Professor Lupin. Our kind can always recognise one of their own" "Yes, but there's something different about you. Something I can't understand" There's a new student at Hogwarts when Harry returns for his third year. She...
