Dear Diggory

chapter 3

We arrived at the great hall to find most of the students already seated. There seemed to be an extra buzz of excitement in the air but I couldn't tell if that was from everyone's return, or from the girls gushing over the new guy. I saw a lot of eyes focused on the Hufflepuff table, scanning for the singular new face.

We walked towards the Ravenclaw table and I gazed up at the floating candle ceiling. The dark sky seemed to be filled with extra stars tonight and I smiled to myself, knowing that it was Dumbledore's way of welcoming us back.

Evelyn sat opposite me with Dakota next to her and Maisie placed herself beside me. It was our usual seating pattern, the same routine we'd developed at all meal times over the last few years.

I looked past Evelyn at the Gryffindor table and recognised the faces of a few of my friends. I spotted Carlisle and we smiled at each other. I was excited to see everyone again and I looked forward to talking to them. I wasn't necessarily popular, just friendly, and I knew a lot of people in all of the houses. As usual, the Hufflepuff table was behind us and the Slytherin table was beyond that.

The last of the students filed in and we turned to face the front of the hall, quieting our conversations.

My eyes scanned over the top table as I recognised the familiar faces of the staff. I caught eyes with Snape and smiled at him, he only nodded back in a curt manner, but I didn't mind. He was one of my favourite professors, although I knew some of the other students thought he was mean, I regarded him as merely jaded.

The doors opened behind us abruptly and we all turned to look, watching as our gamekeeper Hagrid entered. He beamed at seeing us all back and slowly he made his way down the aisle, greeting students as he went.

Once he reached me I stood up and gave him a quick hug, my arms could barely wrap around his large frame but he didn't seem to mind.

"Lila welcome back! Did you have a good summer?" He smiled down at me, his face the perfect picture elation.

"Yeah it was great thanks Hagrid. How was Wales?" I knew he had planned to vacation there for the annual Wizarding Motorbike Tournament.

"Aye it was great! I learnt to play one of those muggle Pibgorns you know."

I laughed at the image of this, and I couldn't help but think of my father who would've begged to hear him play the unusual instrument.

He leaned down to me slightly, lowering his voice into a whisper, "are you still happy to do the letters for me this year? No trouble if not love."

I nodded eagerly and he squeezed my shoulder, tipping his head at my friends before continuing to the top table.

As I sat back down the girls smiled at me. They knew I had spent the last 4 years writing Hagrid's family letters for him after he had admired my script. He didn't require them often, but preferred them neat and well written when he did.

In return he had taught me the protective spells so I could enter the forbidden forest. My curiosity about the off-limit grounds had gotten the better of me and it was fun having a place that was just accessible to me.

I glanced around and noticed other students eyeing me with interest, no doubt wondering what had made Hagrid and I so close. I brushed their attention off and faced the front again.

Dumbledore began to speak then, "welcome, welcome everyone. I trust you all had a wonderful summer and I am pleased to see all of your faces, new and old. We are in for a spectacular year full of friendship and hard work. So please get ready to tuck into a magical meal, but first..." he swept his arm backwards to reveal the stool with the sorting hat on top of it.