Marauder Era Reacts to; Belladonna Potter

Chapter 15

Belladonna stepped out of her dormitory the following day, only to be trailed by whispers wherever she went. Students outside classrooms craned their necks in hopes of catching a glimpse of the famous "boy who lived" or the enigmatic Potter girl. Some even followed her in the corridors, staring intently. All Belladonna desired was to attend her classes without drawing any further attention. Hogwarts boasted 142 staircases, concealed doors that required a specific touch, and even walls that seemed to pose as doors. Keeping track of one's surroundings was challenging due to the constant movement of everything around. The portraits' occupants were always visiting one another.

"It sounds like you had a tough time," Theo remarked arrogantly. Belladonna shot him a dark look for a moment, then stood up from Cedric's lap and began walking over to theo with one of her bad smiles.

"Theo, you better start running," Pansy warned.

Without hesitation, Theodore fled with Belladonna close behind, shifting into her husky form. Barking as she chased him. "When she wants to be, Bells can be quite intimidating," Cedric observed.

"I believe she inherited that trait from Lily and Remus."

Having ghosts wandering around campus was not beneficial at all. While Nearly Headless Nick was once a helpful guide for new Gryffindors, Peeves the Poltergeist was the complete opposite. It was a nightmare encountering him when running late for class. He would throw wastepaper baskets at you, make you trip on his trick staircase, pelt chalk at you, and even sneak up on you invisibly, grab your nose, and scream "GOT YOUR CONK!" at passing students. This caused a lot of trouble for many students.

Belladonna is almost glad that she hasn't personally run into him yet, but maybe he leaves some of the first years alone?

According to the twins, Harry and Ron had an unpleasant encounter with Argus Filch, the caretaker, who was even worse than Peeves, if that was imaginable. On their first morning, Filch caught them attempting to enter the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor through a door they mistook for the correct one. Despite their explanation that they were lost, Filch accused them of breaking in and threatened to imprison them in the dungeons. Unfortunately, Professor Quirrell intervened and saved them. Belladonna had a strange but familiar sensation about him. She could have sworn that she recognized a secondary magical signature emanating from Professor Quirrell, aside from his own.

Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp-like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the twins). The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.

"Have we done this before?" Peter inquired. The golden trio responded with icy stares, still resentful of the third-year mishap.

Upon finding the classes, Belladonna realized that there was a significant amount of magic involved, beyond what she had expected. She understood that she needed to quickly adjust to the complexity of the subject to avoid succumbing to anxiety. Belladonna reminded herself to remain calm and composed, acknowledging that magic was far more intricate than she had originally assumed.

Every Wednesday at midnight, the students had to observe the night skies through their telescopes to identify various stars and track planetary movements. Additionally, three times a week, they attended Herbology classes at the greenhouses behind the castle. These sessions, led by the amiable Professor Sprout, taught them how to care for diverse plants and fungi while also highlighting their various uses.