Lovingly, not yours.

Chapter 5

"Perhaps one day you'll free me of everything."

Chapter 5: "Ghostly Dinner"

The sorting was completed with a beautiful tanned boy, named Blaise Zabini being sorted into the house which held Odele's lingering gazes of anticipation and hope.

The headmaster, who's an enigma to the little girl; Albus Dumbledore got up on his feet with a joyous smile on his wrinkly old face which somehow shone with his brilliance, and welcomed everyone with wide open arms. Quite literally so.

His voice, though booming, had certain points where he raised his tone, making him seem even more eccentric than he already is, "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!"

Odele frowned in confusion as she tried to understand the words that didn't fit well together, instead of welcoming it felt like an insult as she took the words in their literal sense. Could he mean something by them, or is he simply trying to joke? He sure is a bit...

"-Mad?" asked Harry as if reading her mind. She was amused by the timing of his question but listened in on his conversation with Percy, albeit without any ulterior intentions. They weren't necessarily being hushed about it.

As she was about to dig into the gravy and potatoes, a ghost said from the ruff beside Harry, "I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years, I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've in troduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

She looked up at the ghost when Ron exclaimed, "I know who you are! My brothers told me about you -- you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy --" the ghost began stiffly, but the sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan, who looked as if he's just realised that there exists a world outside his mind, interrupted.

"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

The scene that then unfolded in front of her eyes made her stomach churn so badly, she wished she could run away somewhere. The head thrown back over his shoulder with the gash opening so wide and with only a few centimetres left until it cut completely made her rethink upon the meat on her plate.

Draco, who looked just the same as her, stiffened with disgust as the Bloody Baron aka Slytherin's ghost was right next to him. As much as she was curious about the blood on the ghost's body, she pursued her lips and with a shake of her head then resumed her meal, of only vegetables.

When she heard Neville talk about his family, she felt the similar hope as she did for Harry. For him too, to be as happy and safe as he can be. And never to part with his gran, Uncle Algie and Trevor.

"And what about you, Odele?" asked Seamus.

She smiled as she spoke, "Same as you Seamus. Half and half, Dad's a wizard, mum's a muggle. My father, Nicholas Burton, Hufflepuff, was the prefect and then head of his house for all his years." Her eyes gleamed with pride as she looked ahead on the Hufflepuff table, thinking of her Father's days at school. 

Satisfied they all nodded and resumed their previous conversations. But immediately looked at Harry in concern when she heard him hiss in pain, worried, "Are you okay, Harry?"

"N-nothing." He answered both Percy and her. Although she was not entirely convinced, she chose not to push him further and so as to not become a nosy person on day one of her school.

Her ears perked up when she heard the name, 'Professor Snape'. She'd seen her father write letters to the man with the same last name. Although it might just be that the person could be someone else with the same surname, the odds were too less. And she too decided to take a glimpse of the supposed man the boys were talking about.

They locked eyes and she quickly averted hers first as if she'd been caught staring.

"Aww..." she mumbled sadly as the desserts disappeared upon Dumbledor's flick of a wand, she wanted to try the chocolate eclairs.

"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. 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."

Dumbeldore's eyes briefly moved towards what it looked to be the Weasley twins.

"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. 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."

Harry laughed. But she couldn't. She knew even if Dumbledore was a bit crazy for her to understand, his words were cruel despite the joking undertone.

She sighed as she made a mental note of his words, repeating them over and over in her head as she moved her lips along to the school song.

After the scrumptious meal with the magic dust of drama, it was time for everyone to return to the dorms, duly said and done under the guidance of the Prefect to their new home, as what Professor McGonagall had said their houses to be as.

They encountered another ghost as they went about their business to the Gryffindor Common room. Peeves, watch out, Bloody Baron, the only three words of Percy did she let in on her ears as she found her eyes wandering to the big moving portraits. How could one choose to remain stuck forever in a portrait, in the middle ground of life and afterlife... What is their story?

She stood in front of the portrait of a girl her age and stared at her for a long minute, pitying her for dying so young. She wished she could talk to her but her feet led her away to another portrait that asked for a password.

Hi, thank you for reading. I'd love to read your thoughts on it and please drop a like as well. Much appreciated! Thank you!

It shall update every Wednesday, I look forward to reading your comments!

Also do let me know if I should write the tales of the ghosts of Hogwarts. And once again I am sorry for the delay in the chapter update last week, hope you've enjoyed this one.

published - 24.04.24

published with edits - 28.04.24