Chapter Text
~*~
Fifth year of Hogwarts has barely even started, and Cecily Agate is already exhausted as she pokes at her food, barely even hungry as she remembers the nightmare about the dragon and freefalling in the sky she had that morning on the train.
If her friends have noticed the odd behavior, they hadn't commented it, since she has often had those kinds of dreams.
"Everything okay?" Poppy's voice startles her, and Cecily tries to smile at her, but only receives a frown in reply, probably signaling that she had indeed noticed the silent conversation between them.
"I'll tell you later," Cecily promises.
"Alright," Poppy says, and the tone in her voice sounds as if she didn't believe her, and she didn't even believe herself sometimes.
The tall, double doors creak loudly, and the two girls notice an elderly man with gray hair looking sheepish near the entrance, and Professor Black sighs in exasperation as he casually walks over to the entrance to speak with him.
Cecily nudges Poppy and notices an auburn-haired girl wearing a plain black robe without any of the house colours walking in between the tables towards where the professors sat, and where the sorting hat stood on a lone stool. Some students their age were not subtle about their staring at her, others barely noticed and were merely talking with their friends. She looks about the same age as Cecily and the tired expression on the girls' face appears as if she just came from a long battle.
"That must be the new fifth year," Poppy comments softly, and curiously.
Cecily and the girl lock eyes for a moment, and her breath sharpens as she feels a surge of strong magic from nowhere and goosebumps on her arms.
What on earth...? The auburn-haired girl is just as confused, but it seems as if she just shakes it off, and she must hear the hat speaking to her quietly. It's silent for a brief moment, and Cecily thought that if the new girl had been with the other first years, she would have been a hat staller.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat bellows, and Cecily and her friends cheer and welcome the new girl to their house.
~*~
Cecily makes no comment on what happened that night between her and the new girl to her friends, they worry about her enough as it is. She's sitting with them in the common room the following morning, Poppy has inclined to sit on the floor, near the plants to admire the vines against the round, stained glass windows. Cecily couldn't blame her, the Hufflepuff common room felt like home, with the various green plants in their rooms, and on the windowsills, and there's a vague smell of cinnamon in the air, probably coming from the kitchens nearby. There are trays with teacups, and apples perched on the table in the center of the room which were usually magically full every day, and a group is fighting over a gray cat that's sitting on top of the fireplace, and she grins to herself when they fail to catch the cat because it's too high up for them to reach.
The new fifth year student ... oh, what was her name again? Cecily frowns as the auburn-haired, blue-eyed girl comes down the staircase in her new yellow coloured uniform. It's amazing how it's only the first day, and she's already caused such a commotion of rumors spread about her. The one about the glowing red dragon stands out to her the most, which is funny because she just had a dream about one yesterday.
"Can't imagine starting out as a fifth year...". a fellow Hufflepuff student mutters closer towards her.
"Hi there, new fifth year!" Poppy greets, and the new student smiles shyly at her as she walks over to them.
"I'm Poppy Sweeting, and this is my friend, Cecily Agate!" Poppy says with her usual cheerful self, and that cheer is somehow always contagious even on a bad day.
"My name's Sage Hazelwood, nice to meet you both."
The shy auburn-haired girl glances over at her and hums in greeting, she seems a bit awkward looking around their common room and almost out of place. Which is understandable, she hardly knew anyone since it's considered her first year at Hogwarts ... as a fifth year.
"Were you really chased by a dragon, Sage?" Cecily pursed her lips in horror at what she just blurted. Why had she just asked that?! It's none of her business, but she wanted to know --! "It's just Poppy and I always wanted to see dragons, and we suggested it in Care of Magical Creatures, but she kept going on about how dangerous they were and -"
"Yes, I was," Sage answers politely, smiling. "It ... wasn't exactly a thrilling experience, nearly being burnt and flying through the air without a broomstick."
"I can imagine," Cecily grins weakly.
After seeing the scary yellow eyes, and fire in her own dream, she isn't sure if she would want to ever face one in real life. Though she doubts being burnt would stop Poppy from ever seeing one, she swears that her friend is meant to be a Care of Magical Creatures Professor one day.
"You're ... glowing," Sage says suddenly, and so bluntly that Cecily pauses.
Cecily raises her brows, and then glances down at her pale skin, wondering what Sage meant. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her.
"Glowing?" Cecily repeats, to make sure that she heard correctly.
"It's the same kind of glow I saw on ..." Sage mutters, and Cecily is unsure if she's talking to herself or to her. "But that can't be right ..."
"I'm sorry?" Cecily apologize, unsure of what to actually say to that. She's unsure if it was a compliment or not...
"I'm not entirely sure myself," Sage admits.
"Sage!" Poppy comes back from wherever she's been, a little out of breath. "Professor Weasley asking for you!"
"I'll try and tell you later, okay, Cecily?"
"Alright," Cecily says with hesitation, and the goosebumps are back, making her the hair on her arms stand as she watches the auburn-haired girl leave the room.
Glow? And now ... she might have to talk with Sylvia's Portrait about this on the way to divination class later.
~*~