Disclaimer: All this stuff is by JK Rowling! Not me! I've only added pray few of my own characters, including Addie herself and Professor Ingrashe…

Hats, and Witches, and Redheads, Oh My!

Chapter I- Addie: Found

If you were standing outside of East Tirrs High School at two-thirty on Monday, September 1, you would no doubt see a rather short redheaded girl tearing off down the street. She'd hardly flash her brilliant green eyes to anyone as she made her way past all the crowds of students and ran to her house, barely ten minutes from the school. She'd be sporting a black eye, too, aquired from a fight in the hallway with a large boy bullying a younger kid.

Professor Ingrashe did. But, of course, he'd been looking for her.
Addie Sennik continued down the sidewalk, but out of nowhere it seemed, a man appeared. She didn't have time to think before she was on the ground, holding her nose. It must have broken with the impact.

"I'm really sorry, sir," she said.

"That's okay. Are you alright?" He was dressed—strangely—in a cloak. "I should've watched where I was going."

"Oh, I'm okay, but I think my nose isn't." Addie soon noticed a few more strange things, but this time they were strewn all over the sidewalk. An odd looking watch, a piece of parchment (Who even uses that stuff these days? she wondered.), and a hat. The hat was the strangest by far—it was pointed at the top, and Addie was sure she'd only seen hats like that on Halloween, when the little kids in the neighborhood dressed up as ghosts and the like. "I'm so sorry! Let me help you pick those up."

"Thank you." He'd already started picking up his possessions and they both reached for the last at the same moment. The hat. Right as she touched it, Addie felt a jolt in her lower back and everything started to swirl around her.

Even stranger than the man she'd literally bumped into, Addie was staring around a room with pictures of old people on the wall and a desk with an ancient looking man sitting behind it.

"Why, hello, Addie. Please take a seat," the man said. Addie plopped herself down in the chair sitting on the other side of the desk. "John, you're twenty minutes later than I expected you," he concluded.

"Yes, I'm quite aware of that, Professor. It wasn't the easiest job you could've given me. I'll leave you to it then. See you at the feast!" And with that he left the two, Addie and the unknown man, and headed out the dorr.

"Was I just, like, kidnapped?!" Addie asked, surprised at what had just happened to her so quickly.

"No, don't worry, Miss Sennik," said the silvery-bearded man, looking up over his half-moon spectacles. "I'll bet that nose is bothering you." He waved a—a stick—and Addie reached for her nose. It was healed.

"W-where am I?" she stammered.

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry. You're at Hogwarts. I should have brought you here sooner… you're sixteen now, are you not?"

She nodded. This was all so confusing! What was Hogwarts anyway? Where was the street she'd recently been walking, no running, down? How did this freaky unknown man know her name? And why was she even there?

"Oh, I completely forgot! I'm Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster. Now, I know you have many questions for me. I'll answer them all in good time. But first things first," he said, walking over to a shelf. He picked up an old, beaten up hat. Great! Addie mentally complained. Another hat! "Put this hat on." He handed it to Addie, who placed it tentatively on her head. It slid down past her eyes.

Ah… I thought I'd be seeing you five years ago… but oh, well. Hmm, you're not too hard; rather easy, actually. You'll definitely fit perfectly in GRYFFINDOR!

"Just as I thought," Professor Dumbledore said.

"That hat just talked to me!" Addie cried.

"Yes, that's the Sorting Hat," he said, taking it out of the young girl's grasp and placing it back on its shelf. "It sorts each student into their House. So, let's get started."

"With what?"

"With you asking questions and me answering the ones I can for you," he told her calmly. Glancing at his watch, he continued, "I'm yours for twenty minutes, then we'll have to head off to the Great Hall for the feast. Ask away, Miss Sennik!"

It was true, there were many questions buzzing in her head that she desperately wanted answered. "Okay, that's just a little too scary… How do you know my name?"

"You've been on the list to attend Hogwarts ever since before you were born, and I know some family members personally."

"But…" Addie began to protest, but decided not to. "What's Hogwarts?"

"A school for witchcraft and wizardry. The best around." He smiled at her.

"But why am I here? I honestly think you've got the wrong girl! I'm no witch!"

"Yes, you are, I know this for a fact… You're here to go through your sixth and seventh years of becoming the witch that you are, of course!"

Addie was very confused at this point. Sixth and seventh? As far as her math was concerned, she was pretty sure the numbers one through five came before six, but based on what had just happened in the past half hour, she was ready for anything to happen. "Wait, why wasn't I here for the first five?"

"I'm sorry, but I honestly couldn't find you. I only just recently tracked you down; and believe me, they hid you well."

"They?"

"Never mind, it's irrelevant. One last question, I'm starved and the start of the year feast is always wonderful."

"Alright…" Addie fished around for a last question to ask—any random one would do. "What's Gryffindor?"

"One of the four houses here. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Your dormitories are based on these, you earn house points, and quidditch teams compete," was his hurried answer.

"What's—"

"Please, if you don't mind, we really must go. They've already finished the Sorting and are no doubt waiting to eat." The Headmaster stood up and walked to the door of his offive, holding it open for Addie to follow through. Addie added that question to her quickly growing list.

Once they'd descended a windy staircase and entered a dark hall from behind a statue, they briskly continued down the hall. The professor whispered something and, much to Addie's alarm, a light appeared at the end of his stick. That must be his wand. All wizards have wands, Addie considered silently. They passed many pictures—moving ones! —and went down numerous stairs.

Finally, they arrived at large oak doors, which the professor proceeded to open. Addie heard loud talking, but once the two stepped inside, all conversation stopped and every eye turned to see Dumbledore and the strange new girl standing beside him.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" he started. "Sorry I'm late; we had a new student I had to greet. This is our new Gryffindor, Addie Sennik. Let's begin to eat, as I myself am very hungry!" He walked up the long aisle way to the staff table. Before he sat down, he said, "Oh, yes, and our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is Professor Ingrashe." The professor that had brought Addie waved to the school "Now, dig in, everyone!" Dumbledor sat and piled food onto his plate.

All the students and teachers followed suit. Addie felt very out of place and just stood there, waiting for something to happen. Soon enough, something did. A bushy brown-haired girl sighed and stood up from her seat. She walked over towards Addie, rolling her eyes.

Standing in front of the newly proclaimed Gryffindor, she said, "Hi. I'm Hermione. Would you like to come sit with us?"

"Sure." Addie followed her back to where she had been sitting at what must have been the Gryffindor table.

Taking a seat, she noticed she was sitting with two boys. Hermione looked at them sternly and said, "Ahem." They looked up guiltily, mouths full of food. "You both refused to go get her, the least you could do is say hi!"

"Br-orry, 'ermi-ne," one said. He swallowed. "We're so hungry! That was a long train ride…"

Hermione rolled her eyes once again. "That's Ron," she told Addie.

"Hi."

He waved and continued to eat.

"I'm Harry." A black-haired boy with glasses smiled at her. She returned the smile.

"Nice to meet you all," Addie said.

"So, why weren't you here with all the first years?" one of them asked, Addie couldn't tell which as she had began to get food.

"Um… I'm a sixth year."

"What? No way, why weren't you here before, then?" Ron inquired.

"You know what, I honestly have no clue. Dum—Dumble… what's his name? Oh, yeah, Dumbledore said something bout finally tracking me down, or something like that…" Addie ate a few bites before continuing. "Say, any of you happen to know what quidditch is? I only got to ask a couple questions…"

All three of them looked at her oddly. Harry was the one to answer. "Where've you been? It's only the most common wizarding sport! It's played on broomsticks… Were you with muggles or something?"

"Muggles?"

At that comment, they all stopped eating and looked at me. Ron actually dropped his fork. What is wrong with them? I don't know what it means, so I asked! Addie thought.

A redheaded girl sitting on the side of Addie Hermione wasn't on heard her question and stopped talking to the brunette next to her. She pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "Did I hear that right? You don't know what a muggle is?" At the shake of Addie's head, she carried on, "Non-wizard. You muggle born?"

Addie replied, just as softly, "To tell you the truth, I wouldn't be surprised if I was wolf-born. I am so clueless right now…"

"You're Addie, right?"

"Yeah. Who're you?

"Ginny. Ron's sister, aren't you thrilled for me?" she said sarcastically. They both looked at the said boy, who was pigging out once again, and laughed.

"Ginn!" He hadn't heard anything they'd said, but noticed the laugh was directed at him.

"We didn't say anything," Ginny reassured him. Then she stood up and left the Hall, along with some other people.

"Hmm, are you three almost done?" Hermione asked after a while. "I'd like to get some stuff done."

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron said together. Harry finished, saying, "Term hasn't even started yet, what's there to do?"

But, nevertheless, Hermione soon ushered the three up to the Gryffindor common room. In no time at all, all four of them stood in front of a portrait—of a fat lady. Hermione whispered, "Hippogriff," and the portrait swung open, revealing a magnificent room full of tables, chairs, couches, two staircases, and much more.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room, Addie…"

"The best part is…" Ron pulled Addie close to tell her, "When I sit in that chair," he pointed, "I can't hear Hermione working!" Addie giggled at that remark.

"C'mon, Addie, I'll show you our dormitory," Hermione urged.

"Okay. Bye, guys," Addie said to Harry and Ron as they started up one staircase, the girls taking the other.

If you were standing in the sixth year girls' dormitory on the night of September 1, you would no doubt see a small redhead curled up in a four-poster bed, unable to sleep. She'd be staring up at the curtains hanging around the bed through her green eyes. She'd be thinking to herself, What was all that about? Am I really, for real, Addie Sennik? The girl I was this morning? You'd also notice that she was the only girl in the room who couldn't fall asleep.

Finally, she would, though…

A/N: Awesome, huh? Spur of the moment thing I felt like writing, although it started a completely different story… really shows you what a little editing can do! Hehe. REVIEW, PLEASE!