A Talking Painting?

After class I try to talk to Harry, but Ron drags him away somewhere. I can't help but tilt my head in confusion, but then I remember that different Houses probably have different schedules. After all, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw weren't in the class with us.

While I'm pondering, I pull my schedule back out. Taking another look at it reminds me that the only other class I have for the day is History of Magic. But that's not until nearly two pm! I've got a lot of time to kill, but what will I do until then?

As I'm wondering, Draco speaks up behind me. Would you like to explore the castle? We have a good amount of time until lunch, and it would be good to become more familiar with the castle's layout."

Turning around, I nod at him. "That's a good idea! Ooh, and we can invite the other Slytherins. Hey. Tracy! Daphne!"

After catching their attention, I ask them if they'd like to come exploring with us. I would have invited Millicent and Pansy, but they'd already left, along with Blaise.

"Sure. I didn't have anything to do anyways."

"That does sound like it would be a good idea. Familiarizing ourselves with the layout early on would allow us to avoid getting lost when searching for our classes at a later date."

Tracy responds casually, but Daphne is kind of formal. No, scratch that. Really formal. She kind of reminds me of how Clarity is to other people. We're joined by Draco's minions at some point, and as the six of us start to wander, I wonder how Clarity is doing.

'She was always cold to the other kids at school, so Harry and I were her only friends. Of course, she disliked them because they were trying to get close to her as an excuse for their families to make friends.'

'I hope she isn't acting like an Ice Queen with her House. I'll talk to her after our classes later to see how she's doing.'

Having reassured myself, I'm able to take in the castle in its entirety. We've already made our way out of the areas we've been to before, mainly the foyer in front of the Great Hall and the dungeons, and are now looking up at some staircases.

Normally, stairs wouldn't be something interesting. But these things are massive! They're easily half the width of a house, and there are multiple sets of them! I look up, trying to see the roof, and I think I can see it at a distant point. But then something shocking happens that takes my attention. The stairs move!

I'm not the only one staring with my mouth hanging open as one of the sets of stairs floats to the other end of the massive area and slots itself into place. Some older students nearby look at us with nostalgic looks, chuckling. "First years," I hear them mutter before walking away.

I exchange glances with the others. "I wonder how many new students fall off the stairs every year?"

More than one face pales at my question before a nearby chuckle makes us jump.

"None at all, young ones. None at all." We all turn to the…painting? Yep. That's a painting. And it's moving. And talking. Maybe I should stop being surprised by the stuff I see here. After all, I can blow stuff up with my mind. Strange is the new normal!

The painting is of a man dressed in a slim outfit, though there are weird puffs at his shoulders. He has a handlebar mustache and a large floppy hat with a feather, which he removes as he bows with a flourish.

"Papadopoulos Whisperfoot, at your service. And just so you know, those stairs have been enchanted to prevent people from accidently falling off of them. Though there are a few sets with a vanishing step or two that will drop you to the stairs underneath, so be watchful of those."

After a moment of shocked silence from me -though I notice that nobody else seems surprised at the talking painting- Draco responds.

"Thank you for the reassurance. You wouldn't happen to know which stairs those are, by any chance?"

The painting with the overly long name nods to him in approval. "Being polite will get you everywhere my boy. Remember that. Sadly though, the stairs change places so frequently that I can't help you with which ones to watch out for."

Seeing Draco's apprehensive look, he chuckles again. "Not to worry, the worst injury you're likely to get from them is a broken bone or two. Nothing a quick trip to the infirmary won't take care of."

Before any of us can respond, we hear a screech that sounds vaguely human. "Poppy! Posture!"

The painting pales before edging towards the frame. "Well then. Happy to be of help to the new students, do call if you run into any problems. But Ihavetogosogoodbye!"

His last words are said in a rush and then he runs out of the frame! Soon after a man with reptilian skin enters the painting, his fingers wiggling disturbingly. His eyes light on us, and I'm surprised to see that they're human.

"You kids haven't seen a duelist named Poppy nearby, by any chance?" We shake our heads rapidly and he sighs before rushing off, not waiting a moment more.

We exchange glances again. I eye a suit of armor nearby. I edge closer, a hand tentatively raised. I poke it, and let out a sigh of relief when it doesn't react.

I look at the others. "This is going to be a weird year." A grin splits my face, making them take a small step back. But it's going to be so much fun."

I turn my eyes back to the now empty frame. "By the way, are talking paintings normal?"

They exchange glances -without me this time- and look back at me. Daphne is the one to respond. "Paintings and pictures moving are indeed par for the course." A look of realization crosses her face. "That's right, you informed us that you were raised by muggles for you and your brother's protection, correct?"

I nod, ignoring Draco's surprised expression. "Yep. As far as I know, that's the reason. Protection is obscurity, or something like that." I smirk. "Though I won't be returning to them at the end of the school year."

Now Tracy looks surprised. "Don't you at least want to say goodbye to the people who raised you?"

I snort. "Nope. Harry and I were bullied by their kid our entire lives, as well as being made to work from when we were six. Not to mention that our bedroom was a cupboard under the stairs. No, I have no intention of going back to them. And I doubt that Harry does either."

Their faces grew darker the more I told them of what our living situation was like, and then Daphne, of all people, explodes (figuratively). "How dare they! Any wizarding family would have been a better choice for caretakers! Why, those muggles don't even have the basic decency to treat another person's child with the most basic amount of human decency? Unacceptable."

She looks at me with passion-filled eyes as she takes my hands in hers. "Should you require any aid in finding a new place of residence, do not hesitate to call upon me for aid."

I'm taken aback by her earnest response. A look around at the others shows similar expressions of support, though they don't say anything. Even Draco's minions are nodding in agreement!

Honestly, their reactions seem… odd to me. I mean, it is the normal reaction to hearing about my situation, I guess. But it makes me feel a bit… off.

'Why did no one around us react like this before?'

Not even Clarity's family said anything about our living situation when they learned about it. They just said that we could go over to their house any time we liked.

'Was there something else going on with the Dursley…?'