Dreams Are Falling Short

The Entrance Hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the double doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast.

The four long hosue tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the starless black ceiling, which was just like the sky I could glimpse through the high windows. Candles floated in midair all along the table, illuminating the silvery ghosts who were dotted about the Hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other houses, eyeing one another’s new haircuts and robes.

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville walked behind me, not wanting to talk to me, but wanting to stay close enough to me so that they could sit next to me. I ignored them, not wanting to snap at them again, and went to sat with Fred, George and Lee instead, who were already seated halfway down the table.

“Hey guys,” I said, sitting next to George.

“Hey, Blondie,” Fred said.

“Why were you in Malfoy’s coach?” George said, watching me apprehensively.

I sighed knowing this would come.

“His father wants him to become more acquainted with me,” I said, holding my head up with my hand.

“His father?” Lee said, and I shrugged.

“Couldn’t you have just punched him again?” Fred asked, watching me carefully, just like his brother.

“I would’ve, but he sort of convinced me not to,” I muttered.

“What? How?”

“Who’s she,” I asked, trying to avoid the subject.

I was looking up at the teacher’s table, where Dumbledore was sitting in his high-backed golden chair at the centre. His head was inclined towards the woman sitting next to him, who was talking into his ear. She looked like somebody’s maiden aunt: squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes. Then she turned her face slightly to take a sip from her goblet and I saw her face was pallid and toad-like, with a pair of pouchy eyes.

“Dunno,” Lee said.

“How did Draco Malfoy get you into his carriage willingly,” Fred said, leaning across the table towards me, a fierce look in his eyes.

“I wouldn’t say it was willingly,” I protested.

“Corey,” George said, getting impatient.

“Fine,” I sighed, before saying carefully, “I was making sure people didn’t get hurt.”

“Making sure who didn’t get hurt?” George insisted. “I’m sure they could’ve looked after themselves.”

“That’s beside the point,” I said sharply.

“Then tell us –“

“It was you guys, okay,” I said, looking at the twins individually, an anger filling up inside me. “I didn’t want him to do the things I know he’s capable of doing.”

The was silence. The doors to the Entrance Hall opened. A long line of scared-looking first-years entered, led by McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizard’s hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim.

The buzz in the Great Hall faded away. The first-years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students, and McGonagall placed the stool carefully in front of them, then stood back.

I folded my arms on the table, placing my head on them lazily.

When all the students had been sorted, and we had all eaten, and noise level in the Hall started creeping upwards again. I had gotten over my snappiness and had laughed and joked with the three older boys all of dinner. Dumbledore got to his feet. Talking ceased immediately as all turned to face the Headmaster. I was feeling pleasantly drowsy now. My four-poster bed was waiting somewhere above, wonderfully warm and soft...

“Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices,” said Dumbledore. “First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students – and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too.

“Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr Filch’s office door.”

“Not likely we’ll go looking there anytime soon,” Lee muttered.

“We have had two changed in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.”

There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause.

Dumbledore continued, “Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will take place on the –“

He broke off, looking enquiringly at Umbridge. As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but the Umbridge cleared her throat, “Hem, hem,” and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.

Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment and then he sat down smartly. No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.

“Thank you, Headmaster,” Umbridge simpered, “for those kind words of welcome.”

Her voice was high-pitched, breathy and little-girlish and I felt a powerful rush of dislike that I could not explain. All I knew was that I loathed everything about her, from her stupid voice to her fluffy pink cardigan. She gave another little throat-clearing cough (“hem, hem”) and continued.

“Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!” She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. “And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!”

I glanced around. None of the faces I could see looked happy. On the contrary, they all looked rather taken-aback at been addressed as though they were five years old.

“I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I’m sure we’ll be very good friends!”

“That’s likely,” the twins said in unison.

“I’ll be her friend as long as I don’t have to borrow that cardigan,” I said, “well, probably not even then.”

“The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gift with which you born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching.

(hem, hem) “Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress’s sake must be discouraged, for our tried and test traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation...”

I stopped paying attention, placing my head once more on my folded arms. Umbridge didn’t seem to notice the restlessness of her audience. I had the impression that a full-scale riot could have broken out under her nose and she would have ploughed on with her speech.

“... because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgement. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited.”

She sat down. Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though I noticed that several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping. Fred, George and Lee has also placed their heads on the table; Umbridge’s long, boring speech making them as tired as I. A few students joined in, but most had been taken unaware by the end of the speech, not having listened to more than a few words of it, and before they could start applauding properly, Dumbledore had stood up again.

“Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating,” he said , bowing to her. “Now, as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held...”

I sighed happily at the thought of being able to fly on my broom once more. It had been third year that the twins had gotten me onto the team, due to the fact that I hadn’t been talking to them. I felt a pang of guilt still, but shrugged it off, knowing I’d paid them back, or would in the future.

Dumbledore dismissed us, and there was a great clattering and banging all around us.