"COMFORT"

COMFORT: ease; Lorelei Black was always at ease when she was at Hogwarts, it some sort of aura about it — no matter what, it's always going to be there. Last year, Lorelei had been pretty unfortunate and ended up at Durmstrang where she was nothing short of miserable, but she handled it. However, this year Neveah had strictly said to Lorelei that she couldn't continue her years at Durmstrang under any circumstance, Lorelei gets it, she guesses, her mother was just being protective.

As she walked off the train, there was a smell — it was Hogwarts, it sounds weird when she says it, but for Lorelei she can remember places' smells, again she's aware she sounds weird, but when she smells that place — it's a different kind of feeling that hits her.

"Move along, Black" Capella pushed past Lorelei, who scowled almost immediately as she heard the blonde's voice, "Merlin, the trash is back"

"It was never gone with you here, Malfoy!" Lorelei called out with a sweet smile and her middle finger pulled up, George chuckled from beside her, "Merlin, that's one thing I never missed about Hogwarts"

"What are the things you did miss then?" George questioned, the two walked together as Fred was busy making up to Birdie, and Hope was looking around for Donna — Belladonna Clarke — deranged killer Bellatrix's daughter — a result of a lot of alcohol and bad choices.

"Uh, pranking Snivellus" Lorelei said, "Pranking first years, pranking Slytherins who bully Hufflepuffs, mostly Malfoys, other Slytherins are fine, to be honestly, and...ah, I know — pranking you and Fred"

"Anything that doesn't involve pranking people?"

"Quidditch!" Lorelei beamed, "In Durmstrang the training was really tough, I reckon I'm really good at it now though, I'm gonna beat Gryffindors' arse this semester"

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves here" George teased, "We do have 'the greatest seeker Hogwarts has seen in centuries' not to mention, I've heard the beaters are really good at what they do"

"Oh, are they now?" Lorelei raised her eyebrows at the redhead who passed her a wink, she shook her head with a chuckle.

The pair made their way up to the carriages, Lorelei frowned — she saw large bony horse-looking animals pulling them, she didn't understand, she was here last year and those animals weren't here, "George, did Hagrid breed these animals or something? They weren't here the last time, right?"

"What animals?" George frowned.

"The ones that are pulling the carriage?" Lorelei furrowed her eyebrows, she moved towards the animals, and the creature moved forward, but Lorelei got back just as fast.

"There's nothing pulling the carriages, Bubbles" George told the brunette, but Lorelei shook her head.

"No, see — they're— they're right there" Lorelei stuttered, frightened of them, they were quite scary to look at, barely any mass on their bones, "Look, they're pulling the carriages."

"There's nothing there, Lorelei" George said, he was starting to inch towards her with concern.

"Uh, I see— I see them too" Lorelei heard from behind them, and she turned to find Hope Lupin, "They're threstals, only visible to people who have witnessed death..."

Lorelei stared at the brunette with a dumbfounded look on her face, she hadn't ever seen someone die, she just hadn't — so, how could she see them? Was it because of the bunny...? Hope Lupin gulped, she'd never really told anyone about how she could see them, no one except Hagrid, Hope was just two when she'd seen her mother get ripped to shreds by a werewolf — she doesn't remember it, not much anyway, but she does remember her screams, and every now and then she hears them in her nightmares — that was also the day Hope Lupin had gotten bit. Remus was out on a mission, and he'd come home to his wife bleeding out on the carpet, her land limp right near her daughter's crib, and her daughter — the two year old laid screaming her lungs out in the same crib.

Hope Lupin didn't have much to begin with, she never had and she didn't want to have much, she was fine with her dad, and their little cottage in the woods, she was fine with everything she had. She was fine. It was only natural, though, she was bound to wonder if she would've been able to have a better life if she was with mum. She couldn't do much about it, so she would always just shake the thought out of her head, feeling guilty about taking her father for granted.

"But I— I haven't" Lorelei stammered, at loss for words, "I've never..."

"Come on, we can talk in the castle" Hope grabbed her hand, and George followed them as he trailed behind, he wanted very badly to comfort Lorelei in any way possible, but he let Hope handle it, "Couldn't find Donna anywhere, reckon she's at the school already?"

"I— I don't know" Lorelei said, her gaze unfocused, what had she seen? She didn't know, she had seen an animal death before — she'd seen a squirrel get hit by a car, and died right on the spot, El was around seven when she'd seen that happen, and she'd gone to Hogwarts just four years later, and the year after that she'd taken the carriage — she hadn't seen them. She hadn't seen them then, so why the hell is she seeing them now?

🫐

"—WE ARE ALSO DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE PROFESSOR UMBRIDGE" Lorelei frowned, pausing as she stared at the old Professor with disbelief prominent in her eyes — what the hell? It's her last year back here at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore manages to fuck up the staffing of this year too, "Our new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher" Lorelei passed a look to Birdie who despite being mad at the other girl returned it, the two brunettes had talked shit about the woman all summer, she was one of the biggest pains of the Order.

"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the—" Dumbledore was interrupted by the lady in an ugly pink cardigan who if Lorelei could, she would cast as the Principal of that school that Matilda went to. The sound of that annoying high-pitched 'hem-hem' seemed to shock everyone.

"Oh, shit" Lorelei heard Harlene Quinzel whisper, her New York accent popping out, "Never in the years I've spent here has someone fucking interrupted Dumbledore."

Lorelei passed a look to the blonde, "I know, right" she then looked at Umbridge with a look of disgust, "Ew, what the fuck is she wearing? I hate that cardigan"

"She's the reason I hate cardigans..." Harleen said, "...and humans"

Lorelei had never agreed with someone more in her life, they watched as the short-plump woman walked up to the Front Line, she looked around as she smiled at the kids, Lorelei could see how much she hated kids just by looking in at her eyes.

"Thank you, Headmaster" Umbridge said, "For those kind words of welcome"
Lorelei was about to chuck her breakfast, dinner and lunch all out at the same time and at that pink lady (hem-hem), "Well, it's lovely to be back at Hogwarts," she did that sickly, and disgusting smile again, "and to see such happy little faces looking back at me"

No one was happy.

Especially not Lorelei and Harleen.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all" Umbridge said, "I'm sure we'll all be very good friends"

"I need firewhiskey for this" Harleen rolled her eyes, and Lorelei was sure she saw her sneak something in her goblet, but who was she to judge, really, she'd rather just poke her eyes out than look at the toad speak for another ten seconds.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were 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 through 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."

Lorelei had heard the woman speak, but she didn't intend on listening. Lorelei's mind then wandered off the animals those, if she'd seen them, surely Harry had too.

"The pudding was rather delicious today, wouldn't you say?" A dreamy voice interrupted Lorelei's chain of thoughts for the better, she turned find the kid with a dreamy look on her face — oh, she remembers her! Luna! She'd once stopped a sixth year from jinxing little Ginny and Luna.

"Hey, Luna" Lorelei gave her a polite smile, she fixed the tie on her neck, "How've you been?"

"Good" Luna said, "Would you like a Quibbler?" she held up a magazine, Lorelei looked at it.

"Sure" Lorelei took it from her hand, what else was she going to do? "What are wrackspurts?"

"They're like little invisible bugs that sneak into your head and make your brain go fuzzy" Luna explained.

"Sounds sick" Lorelei nodded, and for the rest of the announcements that the lady in pink was making, she'd tuned her out. Luna had enjoyed watching someone read The Quibbler with just as much interest as herself, Lorelei Black had always been kind to Luna, not many people had, but Luna was grateful for the older student.

Dumbledore dismissed the class, and Lorelei and Harleen practically jumped out of their seats, I guess, Lorelei should elaborate more on Harleen, huh? She's her dorm mate, in Ravenclaw dorms there's only two beds in each dorm, so Harleen and Lorelei had grown up with each other, and as the blonde had told her — Harleen did not get along with the dorm mate they set her up with last semester. Lorelei had ended up in the same dorm as she'd previously been in.

Lorelei watched Regan in her slytherin robes, and prefect badge as her and Malfoy led the first years to the dorms, both of them with massive scowls on their faces. Birdie and another seventh year — Brian Davies, a Ravenclaw — walk away with the prefects following them.

Lorelei walked away from the Great Hall, her eyes on the ground, "El!" she'd heard someone say, someone she'd been hoping to avoid — Lorelei grimaced, she turned around slowly to find Cho Chang with her eyes glossy, "How are you?"

Lorelei shrugged, "What about you?"

"Well, you know how hard it is" Cho released a teary chuckle, "It's been tough, you know, there's so much guilt because of our break up that day, but every time I feel like it was somehow my fault, I remind myself that Cedric wouldn't want that."

Cedric wouldn't want that.

i just wrote a wholesome chapter kinda emo don't touch me