Butterflies | Teddy Lupin

Chapter Nine

"Attention all First Years, follow me!" Charlotte called out, her cheeks rosy with mirth. The Great Feast was over, and people were starting to trickle out of the Great Hall. Words floated in a cloud above the heads of everyone, robes sweeping on the floor. Charlotte beamed out at her group of First Years, winking at James and Polly in the crowd.

The First Years lined up in front of Charlotte, their mouths running excitedly as they waited to see the Gryffindor dorms for the first time. Charlotte did a quick headcount, making sure that she had everyone who had been sorted. Her fingers bounced over each head in her vision, the numbers adding up in her head. When she was satisfied that everyone was there, she smirked. There were more Gryffindors this year than Hufflepuffs, a fact that she was going to lord over Teddy. They had a competition every year, and the past few years Hufflepuff had been winning.

The smile on her face faltered slightly when she realized that this was the last year they were ever going to do this. This was the last year that they were going to the Great Feast. The last year, their last year at Hogwarts. They were never going to get this experience again. Charlotte locked eyes with the aforementioned boy, her smile flickering back.

"Astronomy tower later?" Teddy mouthed at her over the heads of the First Years. Teddy towered over almost everyone, which he used to his advantage. His hair was flopping over his forehead, covering one beautiful eye. Charlotte sighed at the sight of him. She felt like one of the hapless Third Years who were hopelessly in love with him as she nodded back, light pink dusting her cheeks.

"Charlotte, Charlotte," Polly whispered, elbowing her in the side with a small arm. "You zoned out for a minute." Polly shuffled closer to Charlotte, scooting farther away from James. James was at the end of the line, Polly at the front, with several kids in between them.

Charlotte colored deeper, the pink darkening to red on her face. A flush crept up her neck, and she coughed, turning away from Polly. Dragging a hand over her face, she took a deep breath and pivoted back, regaining her composure. "Right, sorry about that!" she said brightly. "Follow me," she repeated, leading the First Years out of the great double doors of the Great Hall.

Charlotte nodded at Ada, who lived in a painting at the top of one of the most common pathways to the Gryffindor common room. "Alright, everyone!" She clapped her hands together, letting the sound ring out in the small hallway. "The staircases like to move, so you have to be careful! You don't want to get stuck on one and then be late to class. Professor Zabini is a stickler for being on time." Her words were imbued with energy, her body charged and ready to go. Her hair was swept up into a ponytail, falling down to her midback.

Polly stuck up her hand, waving it in the air. "How do you make sure that you get to class on time?" she asked.

James whipped his head around, a smirk instantly coming to his face. He elbowed his way to the front of the line, tapping Polly on the shoulder.  "Then," he puffed out his chest, "you have to rely on someone with experience."

Charlotte snorted, the sound flying out of her before she could stop it. "James, you've been here once and that was when you were eight." Her tone was laced with amusement, teasing James like an older sister. "You don't know how to navigate, at all."

James sputtered, the tips of his ears coloring pink as he attempted to regain his dignity. "I, well, nevermind." He ended with a reddened face but a smile on his lips, letting Charlotte know that he wasn't upset.

"Hmm." Polly pursed her lips, rolling her eyes at James. "Charlotte, what would you have said if Potter hadn't so rudely interrupted?"

"You have to learn the pattern of the staircases. I can give you some tips and tricks on that once we get to the Gryffindor tower!" Charlotte brought her hands together in a clapping motion to bring the students' attention back to her. She turned on her heel, her black robes swaying behind her as she walked away.