Ghosts Behind the Scenes
Chapter One: The Sorting
An explosion rang through the halls of Hogwarts, a little ghost raised her head to look at the dust falling from the ceiling.
"That must be Mr. Peeves." She said quietly. Her hand was wrapped tightly around a transparent plaid teddy bear as she raised herself up through the ceiling and to the explosion sight. Nicholas was already there along with the Fat Friar and the Bloody Baron.
"Has Mr. Peeves done something again?" The girl asked the nearly headless ghost.
Nicholas looked down at the girl and nodded. "Yes, it seems like that troublesome poltergeist found a leftover bomb from those Weasley twins."
The girl nodded her understanding and flew through the dust and around the corner of the hallway to find a snickering Peeves. "Found you." The girl's monotonous voice caught his attention.
"Ah! Miss Eloise, what a pleasant surprise." Peeves put on a mischievous grin. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"You should probably get going. The professors will be here soon, as will be Mr. Filch and his cat."
Just as the girl said it, the click of heels came quickly and Peeves dissipated from view. "Eloise, was that Peeves who caused the explosion?" Asked McGonagall.
"Yes."
"Have you seen him anywhere around?"
The girl looked above the professor's head to see said person, floating upside down with a finger held up to his lips. "I'm afraid I haven't. I'm sorry, Professor."
McGonagall sighed and did a quick 'Reparo' spell and muttered to herself. Eloise was able to hear a few things; 'don't have time to do this.' and 'still have to fetch the Sorting Hat.'
"Professor, are students coming back today?" the ghost girl asked.
"Yes, Eloise. Now then, if you excuse me, I still have to prepare."
The professor's green robes trailed behind her as she walked back down the hall. "I swear, If I were to be the headmaster, I would have had Peeves thrown out years ago! No disrespect to Sir Dumbledore, of course." Nick came floating up to Eloise with his claim.
"Come now, Nicholas. You have to admit he provides good entertainment." The Fat Friar clapped a hand on the other ghost's shoulder.
"Yes, when he isn't trying to blow Hogwarts to smithereens." The three ghosts continued to drift, barely noticing the wall they passed through and the small children that they had spooked. "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance."
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not even a real ghost- I say, what are all you doing here?" The two bickering ghosts finally noticed the poor, soon to be first years, who were scared out of their wits.
"They're the new students." Eloise muttered quietly, clutching her stuffed bear to her chest at the sight of new people.
"New students!" The Friar became ecstatic. "About to be sorted, I suppose?" Eloise could see a few soundless nods from the crowd. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house you know."
Just then the doors to the Great Hall opened to reveal McGonagall. "Move along now," she said. As the other ghosts floated away Eloise stayed behind and followed the first years inside, she could feel their wary eyes on her. The girl analyzed the crowd when she spotted a mob of black hair that looked like an animal had attacked it. The boy seemed to feel her watching and turned his head to stare at her with emerald green eyes. Why did this boy remind her of someone?
McGonagall then placed a four-legged stool in front of the group and on top of it the Sorting Hat. The hall was completely silent, before the hat burst into its annual song;
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
You top hats sleek and tall
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave of heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get into a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
The hall burst into applause as the hat finished. When McGonagall called up the first student to be sorted, Eloise remembered back to when she was alive; the Slytherin table had quieted down after a boy named Tom Riddle had sat down.
"Ripley, Eloise!" The professor called. The girl walked up to the chair and sat as the hat was placed on her head.
'You seem very calm.' A voice rang in her head.
'When you learn that magic is real, you tend to believe almost anything can happen.' Eloise thought back.
'Muggle-born, eh? Well let's see. Willing to learn, secluded and very quick minded indeed. Must be-'
"RAVENCLAW!" The second table to the left clapped as the girl sat down. She received some pats on the back and a 'welcome' here and there. Eloise was brought back from her thinking, not by the loudness of the students, but the silence of them. The Great Hall was never silent. Eloise looked to see that the black haired boy from earlier was sitting on the four-legged stool with the Sorting Hat in his head. A moment passed when the hat suddenly declared, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Clapping erupted throughout the hall.
The Weasley twins chanted"We got Potter! We got Potter!". Eloise could see Nicholas trying to pat the boy's arm, but inevitably failing. Eloise decided to join them, she drifted towards the table and appeared next to Nicholas.
All conversation stopped when Dumbledore stood. "Welcome!" He said, arms spread wide. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words, and here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" As the bearded man sat down everyone clapped.
Eloise played with the arms of her teddy bear. Dumbledore's speeches got crazier by the year.
"That does look good." The ghost girl looked up to see Nick looking at the food on the table.
The black haired boy stopped cutting his steak "Can't you-?"
"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years. I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor tower. And this young lady here is Miss, Eloise Ripley. Resident ghost to Ravenclaw house along with the Gray Lady."
Eloise bowed her head.
"I know who you are!" A red haired bot with freckles splashed across his face said. "My brothers told me about you. You're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I would prefer you call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-"
Then a sandy haired boy said "Nearly headless? How can you be nearly headless?"
Eloise turned her head away so she didn't have to look. She has seen Nicholas flip his head over before and she did not need to see it again. Eloise spotted Peeves hovering at the ceiling. She drifted up towards the poltergeist. "Hello Mr. Peeves."
"Miss Eloise, I must thank you for your help earlier." Peeves did a mock bow.
"Are you looking for new victims?"
"Victims? You know my tricks are all in good fun."
Eloise stayed silent as she gazed over the students. Her eyes landed, once again, on the black haired, emerald eyed boy.
"Ooh, has Miss Eloise fallen in love with the new Potter?" Peeves inquired.
"Potter?" The girl replied blankly.
"Don't you remember James? James Potter?"
"Oh. James didn't have green eyes." Eloise recalled the tricky student to have dark brown eyes.
"Of course he didn't. Lily had the green eyes." A very subdued look of surprise passed the ghost's face.
"So they ended up together." she pondered. The two spirits stayed quiet as the whole hall started singing the Hogwarts theme. The Weasley twins finished last with a funeral march and Dumbledore waved the students off to bed.
A spark came to Peeves' eyes. "Come, Miss Eloise! I have a plan."
Eloise silently moved alongside Peeves. Peeves zoomed to the nearest broom closet. He looked left and right and unlocking the door with a snap of his fingers, he snatched a bunch of walking sticks from the closet. He checked both sides again before closing the closet and flying off towards the moving stairs.
The ghost girl floated as fast as she could with the other spirit until they reached the entrance to the Gryffindor tower. Peeves smiled wickedly as he saw the up-coming Gryffindore first-years, being lead by Percy Weasley. Peeves dissipated, making it look like the walking sticks where floating in mid-air.
Eloise strayed into the wall above the Fat Lady as she watched Peeves attack the group.
"Peeves! Show yourself!" Percy Weasley demanded. The invisible spirit blew a rude raspberry. "Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron? And Eloise, you come out too." The girl ghost came floating out the wall.
A pop sounded and Peeves appeared with legs crossed and arms around the walking sticks. "Ooh!" Peeves let out an evil sounding laugh. "Ickle firsties! What fun!" He swooped down at the children, who ducked.
"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron will hear about this. I mean it!" Percy scolded. Peeves stuck out his tongue as he vanished, letting the sticks fall on a poor boy's head.
Eloise floated down and in front of the Weasley. "I apologize, Mr. Weasley. I will inform Mr. Filch about the sticks. Good evening, oh, and congratulations on becoming a prefect." The girl said before floating down the corridor.
Percy stood a tad bit straighter as he told the first-years "You want to watch out for Peeves. The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him; he won't even listen to us prefects. Eloise is pretty harmless, though she goes along with most of Peeves pranks. Here we are."
As the Gryffindors entered their tower, Eloise sat on a support on the ceiling, hugging her teddy bear.