The Great Hall of the castle was brightly lit, with long tables filled with students, their faces illuminated by the glow of thousands of candles floating in mid-air. Hermione had been called away by Professor McGonagall; Orli suspected she was retrieving the Time-Turner to take more classes.
The Sorting Ceremony ended quickly, and by the time Hermione returned, Dumbledore had already tapped his goblet with a spoon, standing up to speak.
"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" Professor Dumbledore said, the candlelight making his beard shimmer. "Before you become too drowsy from the delicious dinner, I have a few words to say to you all. This year, I am delighted to welcome two new teachers to our ranks."
Clearing his throat, Dumbledore continued, "The first is Professor Lupin, who has bravely agreed to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts."
There was a smattering of applause in the hall. Professor Lupin, seated among the well-dressed staff, looked particularly shabby in his worn-out clothes. He stood up slightly, acknowledging the room awkwardly. Only the group of four who had shared a compartment with him gave a hearty round of applause. Orli, clapping enthusiastically with Harry, suddenly felt a gaze piercing her.
"Look at Snape!" Ron whispered to them.
Following Ron's gaze, Orli looked towards the professors' table. Snape's dark eyes had just moved away from her, now fixed on Lupin with an expression that went beyond annoyance, revealing a palpable loathing.
"As for our second appointment," Dumbledore continued once the lukewarm applause for Lupin had faded, "I regret to inform you that our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Kettleburn, retired at the end of last term to spend more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am pleased to announce that none other than Rubeus Hagrid will be filling the post. Hagrid has agreed to take on teaching duties in addition to his gamekeeping responsibilities."
Hagrid received much more enthusiastic applause, as most of Gryffindor celebrated for him. The group of four clapped vigorously long after the applause had subsided, and Orli felt her palms were nearly swollen. Hagrid, face flushed, looked at them, continuously dabbing at his eyes with a napkin.
"Well, I think that's everything important," Dumbledore said, "Let the feast begin."
The golden plates and goblets on the tables suddenly filled with food and drink. The hall echoed with laughter and the clinking of cutlery. Orli ate until she was stuffed, unable to drink another drop of pumpkin juice, before setting down her fork. When the last pie disappeared from the plate, Dumbledore cheerfully announced that they could return to their dormitories.
The group of four walked towards the professors' table—Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to congratulate Hagrid on his new position, while Orli found her feet leading her to Snape.
"Do you need something?" Snape glanced at her.
"Sorry, Professor. I... I don't," Orli said, feeling foolish with her head down.
Snape strode past her, descending the stairs. But he paused on the last step.
"Stay away from Lupin," he said in a low voice.
———
Late at night, when Orli finally climbed up to the tower and collapsed onto her bed, she felt utterly sore and exhausted. The fatigue from a day of train travel, hauling luggage, and climbing stairs overwhelmed her, her eyelids drooping heavily.
But before completely drifting into sleep, she felt something hard pressing against her side.
Groggily, Orli reached into her pocket and pulled out the hard little box Ginny had given her before boarding the train. Opening the lid, she found a pair of plain silver two-way mirrors inside, along with a note from Ginny:
Thank you for bringing Harry to Egypt. If you find someone you like, give them one of these mirrors, and you can contact each other anytime.
The cool mirror lay quietly in Orli's palm, and before she fell asleep, only one name lingered in her mind.
———
Note:
Two-way mirrors, also known as magical two-way mirrors. When the holder of one mirror says the name of the holder of the other mirror, they can converse in the other's mirror, akin to video chatting in the magical world. The two-way mirror can also show the reflection of the other mirror. In the seventh book, when Harry and others were trapped in the Malfoy Manor dungeon, he used the two-way mirror to call for help, and Aberforth saw it, successfully rescuing Harry.
As for whom Orli will give the two-way mirror to, well, there's only one answer. The key is how Orli can give it without being rejected... hmm, that's a big challenge.
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