Oleandra was glad to once again set foot in Hogwarts's hallowed grounds. There was a certain charm to the ancient castle, an unexplainable mystique. Nearly every single magical ex-child (also known in certain circles as adults) in Britain had once attended the school, apart from those who had been homeschooled, which made it a special place where British Wizards formed relationships that would last a lifetime.
But for now, Oleandra was just happy to be out of the cold. In a short while, the Sorting Ceremony would begin, which would be followed by a word from the headmaster, and the whole event would be concluded by the feast!
However, Oleandra's idle thoughts were soon disrupted by the sounds of Ron's cries of displeasure and the splash of a water ballon exploding on his head. General awareness of her surroundings was not one of Oleandra's fortes; she relied too much on the rune of distress to forewarn her of any incoming dangers. Anything that was not an immediate threat to her life would pass under the radar; things like water balloons, for instance. Especially if she was deep in thought.
"PEEVES!" yelled Professor McGonagall angrily. "Peeves, come down here at ONCE!"
The person, or rather the non-being, who had thrown the water ballon at Ron was, of course, the school's resident Poltergeist. This kind of non-being, like its Boggart and Dementor brethren, was impossible to destroy permanently. However, as it was rather harmless, having been born out of the collective feelings of teenage rebellion instead of fear or despair, it was allowed to stay in Hogwarts.
Of course, it could have been relocated at any moment, but it was better to have it here in the castle rather than having it breaking the Statute of Secrecy anywhere else in Britain, much to the students' and the caretaker Argus Filch's displeasure.
Chasing after Peeves, Professor McGonagall slipped on the wet floor tiles and skidded to a halt safely into Hermione's embrace.
"Waddiwasi!" said Tracey, pointing her wand at the Poltergeist, and a wad of gum flew out of a Hufflepuff's mouth as he was still chewing it and lodged itself in Peeve's nostril.
"Ow!" the Hufflepuff boy cried out, followed shortly by, "my gum!"
"Whoops," said Tracey sheepishly. "I forgot that the wad of gum needed to come from somewhere…"
"At least he'll be out of our hair for a while," sighed Professor McGonagall as she watched Peeves drop his water balloons and zoom off cursing while holding his nose, one of its nostrils having just been plugged up with gum. "Well, come on, then, into the Great Hall!"
She turned on her heel, pushing open the great double doors to the Great Hall. But just as everyone was about to follow her in…
"Just one moment," said a tall, handsome student dressed in Hufflepuff robes, a pleasant smile on his lips. "I believe Ernie's owed an apology; wouldn't you think?"
"Huh?" said Tracey in confusion. "Didn't I say sorry already?"
"You said whoops, Trace," said Oleandra. "I'd hardly count that as an apology."
Oleandra didn't think much of Hufflepuffs in general; their House had hardly produced any great Wizards, as it mostly took in students who failed to be selected for the three other Houses. So what if they were loyal to each other? Slytherins and Gryffindors also mostly looked after their own.
It was only in Ravenclaw that the competition for good grades was so cutthroat that students would ruthlessly work to bring each other down in the field of academics. If the Gryffindor and Slytherin liked to bully each other, then Hufflepuff would be watching on helplessly, while Ravenclaw would be hitting itself in confusion! The living proof was Luna Lovegood, who was the easiest target to pick on for the other Ravenclaws.
"There's no need to apologize," said Pansy Parkinson snidely. "Tracey was just doing us all a favour; weren't you, Tracey?"
Pansy's clique and Oleandra's group might not have been on the best terms, but they were still fellow Slytherins. This was Pansy attempting to show a united front, as students from the same House. Pansy had learned on the Hogwarts Express that Draco was no longer allowed to speak to Oleandra, which had effectively taken her out of the race to win Draco's affections. (Not that Pansy would have ever believed that Oleandra had never had any intention of allowing the annoying git to court her.)
Now that Oleandra was no longer a competitor in love, Pansy had one-sidedly proclaimed herself the victor and ended all hostilities. Back on the Hogwarts Express, when Oleandra had been visiting the other compartments to say hello to her friends, Pansy had invited Oleandra, Daphne and Tracey in for tea and snacks, which was her own way of burying the hatchet. There were no benefits to having enemies for no reason, and Slytherins lived for benefits!
"Er—" said Ernie Macmillan hesitantly. "I'm sure it was an accident— It's fine, Cedric. I was more surprised than anything."
"Well, if you say so," said Cedric with a brilliant smile. "Shall we head inside the Great Hall, then? I'm sure everyone's getting hungry."
If there was one thing Hufflepuffs were known for, it was sticking out for each other. Oleandra had to admit that for a Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory had the charisma and leadership qualities that a Slytherin would kill to have. She could see that the other members of his House admired him very much, and it also probably didn't hurt that he was strikingly handsome. How on earth had this boy ended up in Hufflepuff?
The students separated into four streams upon entering the Great Hall, as the students of the different Houses headed to their respective tables. Oleandra, Daphne and Tracey sat in their usual seats as the Bloody Baron, Slytherin House's resident ghost, floated expressionlessly overhead, covered in his usual ghostly bloodstains.
"Hope there aren't too many new first years," said Oleandra, "I'm famished."
"Doesn't seem like it's the case," said Tracey, craning her neck to get a look at the small crowd of children.
"People had a lot of children after the war," said Daphne with contemptuous sniff, as if the very idea disgusted her.