Hope Archard looked drastically changed as she sauntered into the Great Hall for the feast, so late that she nearly missed the headmaster's speech. When she first arrived at Hogwarts, she had looked a right country girl from an earlier era, reminiscent of that old Muggle television show, "Little House on the Prairie." But today she sported heavy black eye makeup and had sheared off her long hair into a layered blunt bob. Her whole attitude seemed different, too, no longer shy and sweet, but bold and confident.
"Hello, all," she commented as she took one of the few remaining seats at the Ravenclaw table. Hope had been forced to spend the summer in London with her aunt and uncle rather than returning to her family in the small village in Virginia where they had their farm. She'd been upset and angry at first, but it had turned out rather well for her, she thought now. She'd had a chance to get out and get a taste of London life, meet some new people, get some new clothes and a new haircut. Really, she was feeling rather sophisticated now. She was not sure she really wanted to return to farm life when she finished school. |