The necessary (but hopefully humorous) evil: I'm only writing this once, so pay attention. I claim no rights to Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Lee Jordan, Oliver Wood, Cedric Diggory or any of the other characters featured in this story, for that matter. They are the property of J. K. Rowling, Scholastic, Warner Brothers and whoever else put time or money into the Harry Potter saga. I did not write this for profit, but merely my own entertainment, hopefully with Ms. Rowling's blessings. Neither am I posting it for profit, but for the entertainment of others who, like myself, are not content with sitting on our arses for a few years until the next installment comes out. Furthermore, if you do manage to track me down to bring suit, I must warn you I have about as much money as Jo did when she first began writing about the Boy Who Lived. I also must excuse myself to all English readers out there. I am an American trying to sound English, and I'm sure it doesn't come across very convincingly, but feel free to make suggestions. No animals were harmed during the writing of this story. Thank you for your time.
This is dedicated to Luke, my soldier.
Katie the Lionhearted
Platform nine and three-quarters was crowded with a motley assortment of students, family and pets. A scarlet steam engine waited next to the platform, emanating smoke. Teenagers clumped together in little knots all down the train, laughing and talking excitedly with their friends. They were obviously old hats compared to the several dozen pale-faced eleven-year-olds that were looking apprehensively around, some clinging to their parents almost fearfully. Sqeaks, hisses, meows, ribbits, barks and hoots only added to the din.
"You'd better get aboard, dear," said a flaxen-haired mother to her eleven-year-old daughter with identically colored curls.
The girl grasped her mother in as tight a hug as she could while an older, but equally blond boy started hefting her trunk towards the train door. The girl reluctantly followed and boarded the train after her brother.
The two blond children made their way down the train's corridor a little way. The boy poked his head into a compartment and saw a brown-haired teenage girl.
"Sorry," he murmured, "Thought it was empty."
"Nope," the girl replied politely, "but I think the next one might be available."
"Thanks," the boy grunted.
Katie Bell watched him and his cute little sister disappear further down the corridor. She was glad she'd convinced her father to arrive extra early. Last year, she'd had to sit with some of her dorm mates instead of her two best friends.
"Katie!"
Speak of the devil... blond-haired Alicia Spinnet and tall, dark Angelina Johnson bounded into the compartment as the warning whistle sounded. Katie's screech owl, Smidgeon, hooted reproachfully at the loud noise.
"We were looking for you on the platform," explained Alicia as Katie stood up and they warmly embraced, "but then we figured you might've come on to save a compartment."
"Yeah," Angelina piped in as she finished stowing her and Alicia's trunks in the luggage rack, "I remember how last year wasn't exactly fun for you."
Katie shrugged. "I like Leanne and everything, but she's just not the same as you guys," she said, grinning at the two of them as they took seats opposite her.
"She might not be the same, but at least you'll have one friend left when we've gone," joked Angelina.
Katie shot her a reproachful look, but grinned in spite of herself when she caught Angelina's eye. She really had missed her two best friends over the summer holidays.
"You know, I always forget you're a year younger than us," mused Alicia as she stroked her cat, Circe, who had jumped into her lap, "You're pretty mature for your year, but I suppose just missing the September first deadline will do that."
"By thirteen days," sighed Katie dolefully. "Talk about thirteen being an unlucky number."
"Ah, well," Angelina said, "At least you don't have to take your OWLs until next year."
"I'd forgot!" Katie exclaimed. "That means I'm going to see a lot less of you this year, then, aren't I?" she added gloomily.
"Not if Wood's got anything to say about it," replied Angelina with a hint of somberness in her voice. "Word is that he's quite keen on the Quidditch Cup this year."
"More than usual?" Katie joked.
"Well, it's his last year, isn't it?" asked Alicia sweetly.
"I suppose..."
As the Hogwarts Express slid away from platform nine and three-quarters, the three fell into chatter about the summer holidays. Alicia had gone to a family reunion in Wales for a week. Angelina had helped her uncle Seth, an avid breeder, take care of his many crups. Katie had nothing special to report. She had simply spent a month at home with her father. Just as she was saying this, however, the compartment door opened again.
"Fine ladies! It is I, George the Gorgeous! Come to save you from the ravages of boredom!" cried the freckled and flaming-haired George Weasley as he burst into the compartment and struck a pose.
"Always a pleasure, mademoiselle," added his identical twin, Fred, grasping Angelina's hand in his with great airs as George the Gorgeous started heaving his trunk onto the luggage rack.
"Oh, stop it," said Angelina, though slightly flushed.
"Oi! Give us a hand," came a voice from in back of the twins. They both turned to reveal a black boy with dreadlocks, Lee Jordan, the twins' best friend.
"Sorry, Lee, old chum," apologized Fred, still acting quite pompous. He bent to drag Lee's trunk inside and hoist it up, followed by his own. Lee took a seat next to Angelina, as Fred and George sat next to Katie.
"Cosy in here, isn't it?" commented Fred as he took the last available seat.
"Not really room to swing a kneazle, is there?" added George.
"Sure," Angelina answered offhandedly. "Guess who made prefect?"
"Kindly bestow upon us your wisdom, oh Angelina the Angelic," implored Fred.
"Seriously..." muttered Angelina huffily.
"Fine. Who?" Lee asked.
"Patricia Stimpson and Kenneth Towler." Angelina answered, glad that someone had finally asked her.
"God rest their souls," George said somberly.
"But Kenneth!" exclaimed Fred, apparently aghast.
"I thought he got into a bunch of trouble," said Katie, "I remember hearing he got caught with five fanged frisbees!"
"That was back in second year," said Lee, "He got a Howler from his 'rents saying they'd bring him home if he didn't shape up." He shrugged. "Guess it worked."
"Aw, Mum's sent us plenty of Howlers, hasn't she Fred?"
"Seven howlers in four years. I think we might hold a record."
"Don't you two ever take anything seriously?" inquired Alicia.
"How 'bout OWL year?" Angelina asked.
"Don't worry your pretty little head about us, Ange," replied Fred. "The way we see it, OWLs really aren't that important."
All three girls turned to stare at the twins. They had known Fred and George didn't care much for classroom work, but they never knew the twins would throw caution to the wind like this.
"But, what about your sixth and seventh years?" asked Alicia apprehensively. "You need OWLs to get into NEWT classes."
"Oh, we've got other plans..." George said casually, "but guess what we did over the summer?"
"Went to Egypt!" exclaimed Fred before anyone could say anything. And with that, the two launched into a colorful story about their family vacation to visit their oldest brother, Bill, in Egypt. Plenty of detail was given to their attempt to lock their older brother (and Head Boy) Percy in a pyramid.
As the group continued to talk, the scenery outside the window grew darker and wilder while the ominous clouds overhead thickened. People were running back and forth past their compartment.
At half-past twelve, the plump witch with the food cart arrived at the compartment door.
"Anything to eat, dears?" she asked.
The hungry teenagers jumped at the opportunity for sweets. Fred and George had sandwiches, but they still paid a few knuts for a handful of goodies. The rest got a mixture of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Licorice Wands and some pumpkin juice to drink. Katie quickly crammed a Cauldron Cake in her mouth; she had missed them horribly. Just moments after the food trolley had moved onto the next compartment, a burly seventh year opened the door.
"Oliver!" exclaimed Katie after hurriedly swallowing her Cauldron Cake.
"Before you start," said George just as Oliver had opened his mouth, "no talk about Quidditch."
Oliver was the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, and best known for the obsessive nature with which he played the sport.
Oliver shut his mouth and shot him an indignant look. "I'd just wanted to ask how your summers were," he said in his light Scottish accent, sounding slightly miffed. Of course, it would be quite the coincidence for him to stumble into this particular compartment for that. Alicia, Angelina and Katie were the Gryffindor Chasers. The Weasley twins filled the two positions of Beaters, and Lee Jordan was the school's unofficial Quidditch commentator. No one, therefore, seemed to believe Oliver's supposed motive. As Oliver looked around at them all, Katie was briefly afraid that he would stalk out and slam the door behind him.
"Alright, come in," Fred relented, "You might need a shrinking solution, but we'll find room."
After some fidgeting, Oliver ended up sitting on the floor with his back against the wall and his legs stretching out towards the corridor.
"So, you're all getting back to Hogwarts in one piece I take it?" he asked.
"Did you ever loose faith in us, Ollie?" inquired Fred.
Oliver lifted an eyebrow. The Weasley twins were known far and wide for their trouble-making. It was always possible they had accidentally ignited a few of Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks in the wrong place. Katie bit back a laugh.
"Well, we did almost get hexed in that one crypt," George reminded his brother.
"Oh, yeah..."
"That's right!" said Oliver. "I remember, I saw you in the Daily Prophet!"
And with that, the twins retold their fantastic vacation all over again, with the rest of the group prompting them for the more exciting parts.
"What did you do over the summer?" Katie asked Oliver when the twins had finished.
"Give you one guess," Angelina joked before he could answer.
Oliver looked down and muttered bashfully, "Practice."
"Oliver, Oliver, Oliver..." Fred chidded him playfully, "Haven't we told you there's more to life than Quidditch?"
Oliver's ears turned pink, but he put on a brave face. "Like studdying?" he asked sharply.
"If you're referring to our upcoming OWLs, my dear boy, I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed in us," came George's dismissive reply.
Oliver snorted. "You say that now..."
"What are they like?" Alicia asked him suddenly. She looked nervous. Circe hissed as she jumped out of her mistress' lap, apparently having been roused from a pleasant nap.
"They're not that bad," he replied, looking at her earnestly, "Just don't put studying off until the last minute..."
The seven of them continued to talk until mid-afternoon, when the rolling hills outside became blurred from the newly-begun rain. Wood stood up, massaging his sore rear end. Katie winced as the sensation of pins and needles spread throughout her left shin, which had fallen asleep with some of Oliver's weight on it.
"I'd better get back to my compartment," he said. "I expect the five of you be prepared for the Quidditch season in one month. And Lee," he added, "please keep commentating. I can't imagine what it'd sound like with a Slytherin in the box."
"Right-o," said Lee with a nod of his head.
With a quick nod at the rest of them, Oliver left the compartment. The ride was uneventful as the train sped yet farther north. The windows turned a solid, shimmering gray, which gradually darkened until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks. The rain hammered and the wind roared, but the six of them stayed cozy in their full compartment. Fred and George amused everyone by juggling five ink bottles between the two of them, until Fred missed one and it shattered on the floor.
Suddenly, the train began to slow, eventually coming to a stop with a jolt. At the same time, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness. A dull thud was followed by a loud yelp from Angelina. Smidgeon hooted in his cage, apparently having been woken by the loud noise. The twins and Lee hurried to place the trunk that had landed on top of Angelina back on the rack. Students peered out of their compartments and down the corridor to see what was going on. They shouldn't be at Hogwarts for another hour, and the lights that would have lit Hogsmeade station were nowhere to be seen. Lee left to find out if anyone had heard what was going on, as the others waited tensely in the compartment.
"I hope everything's alright," said Alicia.
"Should be," replied George, though he didn't seem too sure of himself.
Lee came back to the compartment, shaking his head. "Nothing," he said, "No one's got a ruddy clue."
Then, just as curiously as it had stopped, the Hogwarts Express lurched and began to move again.
"Maybe it was just engine troubles," said Angelina.
"Yeah, maybe," Katie replied, looking out the dark window for any hint of what could be going on as the train increased its speed.
Alicia suddenly shivered.
"Are you okay?" Lee asked.
"Yeah," replied Alicia shakily. "I just feel…"
"Cold," Fred finished for her. He had crossed his arms and was beginning to rub his upper arms.
"Me, too," said Angelina, looking down at her arms.
Katie looked down and pulled back her sleeve a little. Her forearm was covered in goose bumps. She pulled her sleeve down again and fought to keep her teeth from chattering as the temperature in the compartment rapidly dropped. She checked that the window was still closed securely as the dark and cold intensified. It was sealed shut, but the glass was beginning to show signs of frost. Katie started to panic. What could be going on?
Suddenly, the door of the compartment banged open and a younger boy with blond hair and a pointed face stumbled in. Draco Malfoy looked even paler than usual. His white features were drawn, not into their usual arrogant sneer, but in thinly veiled terror. He took one glance around the compartment, and finding it full of older Gryffindor students, quickly ran out again.
"St-stupid git," shuddered Fred "Didn't even b-bother to close the door." He managed a tense smile.
Then, from same direction whence Malfoy had appeared, something swept into view. It was tall, hooded and cloaked in layers of dark, molding cloth. A strange, rattling breath came from under the hood, as though it was trying to suck more than air out of the cramped space. Katie's head began to ache. She felt like she was being frozen from the inside out. Then, she heard a little girl crying. She saw her mother lying in a hospital bed, and a similar, horrible, rattling breath coming from her as she fought to hold onto life. Then, her father's face swam before her and he told her, "Your mother's dead, Katie. She's gone…" She heard the little girl's voice wail again as she next saw her mother's dead body lying in her coffin…
"Katie!" cried Angelina, shaking her hard by the shoulders.
The view of the Hogwarts Express, fully lit once again, quickly brought Katie back to present time as she snapped out of her personal nightmare, but something still didn't feel right. She bolted for the door, which was still open, and raced down the corridor. Not looking where she was going, Katie bumped into someone very tall and muscular, but she couldn't hold back any longer. Stiff-arming the solid body she had run into to keep them at bay, she doubled over and retched all over the carpeted floor.
The stranger kindly took the arm which had been used to push them out of the way, and supported Katie until she had finished. After she was sure nothing more was on its way, she slowly stood up, helped by the benevolent stranger.
"Thanks," Katie said as she gingerly righted herself.
She was horrified to find herself looking into the gray eyes of a tall and stunningly handsome sixth year. Cedric Diggory was smiling at her warmly. Katie felt herself go weak in the knees.
"No problem," he said casually. "I should actually be thanking you for getting me out of the way."
"Least I could do…" muttered Katie, looking down to hide her blush and trying her best not to sound like she had just been hypnotized.
Cedric pulled out his wand, waved it and said "Evanesco." The foul-smelling puddle vanished before their eyes, leaving the carpet as fresh as before. Katie blushed even deeper. He'd cleaned up her mess for her...
"Katie Bell, is it?" Cedric asked politely.
Katie's stomach at first did a summersault at the fact that he knew her name, then plummeted at the thought that he would probably now remember her forever as the girl who had almost vomited on him. "That's right," she answered grudgingly.
"Cedric," he said, extending his hand. She took it.
"You're—you're a real gentleman," Katie blurted out. She winced inwardly. What a stupid thing to say. She could have kicked herself.
Yet, once again, Cedric's impeccable manners shone through. He didn't seem wrong-footed at all, but merely smiled again (Katie thought she'd have to hold onto something soon to keep from falling over) and replied, "It's nice to meet you, too."
Katie smiled as best as she could. Her insides still didn't feel quite right.
"Was it those dementors?" he asked kindly.
Katie nodded her head. She didn't want to elaborate; the last thing she needed was more pity. Luckily, she didn't have to.
"Here," he said, pulling a Chocolate Frog out of the pocket of his robes (he'd already changed, unlike Katie). "Eat it. Dad told me chocolate's a good remedy after a run-in with dementors."
Katie looked at him uncertainly, but when he didn't withdraw his hand, she took the offered sweet and quietly thanked him. Cedric waved it off.
"So, you'll be playing Chaser again this year, I assume?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah, Quidditch," said Katie awkwardly. She looked at his robes and saw his Quidditch Captain badge. "Oh! You're Captain! Congratulations!"
Cedric beamed. "I've got plans to put together a tough side this year."
"You'd better," replied Katie, starting to become acclimated to his charm (and thankful that the conversation had careened well away from her puking incident), "because we're not going to hand the Cup to you."
"No, I expect not," he replied while chuckling at her spunky comeback. "Wood's probably spent the holidays planning your defense."
Now it was Katie's turn to laugh. "That's Oliver for you."
"Well, I'd better get back," he said politely, "but I look forward to playing you."
"Yeah, me too," Katie replied eagerly as Cedric started off down the corridor. He gave her a last smile and parting wave then turned and continued on. Katie had to tear her eyes off of him to go the other way to her compartment, where her friends sat, probably wondering what had happened and why it was taking her so long. Sure enough, Alicia stuck her head out into the corridor just as Katie arrived.
"I was just about to come looking for you," she said. "What took you so long?"
"Nothing," replied Katie a little too quickly.
"Oh, come off it," said Angelina "We've known you for three years. I think we can tell when you've been up to something."
"I think it's time to get changed," Lee interjected, "We're bound to get there soon."
Katie was glad for an excuse not to be the center of everyone's attention. There was great hustle and bustle as everyone clambered to get their school robes out of their trunks. Katie smiled and gingerly slipped Cedric's gift between some of her extra clothes. Once everyone had changed into the standard black robes and pointed hats, they sat down, and Katie pulled her own Chocolate Frogs out from the corner. She ripped the wrapper off one and bit into it. It felt as if her frozen insides were slowly thawing out. Finishing the Frog, Katie stared out the dark window to watch the approaching lights of Hogsmeade.
The train began slowing down once again, though this time at its scheduled destination. The lights of Hogmeade seemed to shine brighter and more welcoming than ever before. As the train came to a halt, Lee, Fred, George, Angelina, Alicia and Katie filed out into the corridor. Katie grabbed Smidge's cage and kept a tight hold on it until they were outside. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets. Smidge clicked impatiently as Katie rummaged for her wand while shivering almost violently. When she finally managed to utter "Alohomora", he flew out into the night for the shelter of the castle owlry.
"Firs' years follow me!" came the booming voice of Hagrid, the gigantic gameskeeper from one end of the platform. Katie followed the rest of the crowd in the opposite direction and ran to catch up with her friends.
"Bit nippy, isn't it?" asked Alicia as she carried a quivering lump under her robes that Katie could only assume was Circe. Katie smiled. That had to be the biggest understatement she'd heard since they were last together. In truth, they were already close to drenched and the howling wind that drove the rain into their faces chilled them down to the bone.
They trudged up to a rough mud track, where at least a hundred horseless carriages awaited the students. Alicia, Angelina and Katie leapt into one and quickly closed the door on the storm. The carriage was musty, with bits of straw still clinging to the upholstery, but it was better than the dark tempest that raged outside.
They all took a minute to catch their breath, then Alicia asked, "So, what really happened?" Katie could just make out a grin on her face through the dark.
"Not much," lied Katie.
"Don't play coy with us, Kate," warned Angelina. "Or do you want me to tell Penelope Clearwater that you were the one who put leaping toadstools in her bed last spring?"
"Fine!" Katie said as the carriage began to trundle toward the magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked by stone columns topped with winged boars. "I met Cedric Diggory in the corridor and nearly tossed my cookies all over him. Happy?"
The two sat silent for a moment, then they shrieked with mirth.
"Are you serious?" cried Angelina.
Katie nodded.
"Well, it's better than I'd thought," said Alicia truthfully. "You looked awful after the dementor came."
"Yeah," Angelina chimed in, "It looked like you'd gone into a trance."
"Maybe I did," said Katie. She looked up at her friends. "I saw my mum," she blurted out. "I saw her lying there on the hospital bed, and then I remembered when Da told me she'd died when I wasn't there, and then I saw her in her coffin, and I could hear a girl—I think it was me—crying the whole time."
The two fifth years knew of Katie's mother's death, but they had never heard her talk about it as candidly as she just had. Even though Katie's confession was short on words, Alicia and Angelina could tell it had taken quite a bit of courage for her to tell them.
"Blimey," said Angelina quietly.
"And then I lost my lunch," Katie said anticlimactically. As with Cedric, she didn't want to discuss the matter in any detail. It would just bring her pity she didn't need.
"Right…" Alicia said, clearly catching on that Katie wanted a change of subject. "So, er, did anything else happen with Cedric?"
"Well," said Katie, glad her friends understood her. Then, she feelt her cheeks become hot, "he—he recognized me, then introduced himself--he was such a gentleman--"
"I knew it!" Alicia exclaimed. "Go on."
"Then...we started talking about Quidditch," Katie replied. She'd decided that his gift was her little secret.
"Oh," said Angelina, sounding a little disappointed.
Katie forced herself to ignore the sickly feeling in her stomach as they passed the dementors standing guard next to the gates.
"So, do you think you'll see him again?" asked Alicia.
"I hope so," Katie confided quietly. "I mean, he was really nice. I don't think he'd be into me. I mean, we only really met because I almost threw up on him, and I'm kinda young, but..." she trailed off.
"You're not that young," said Angelina. "Like we said earlier, you're as good as a fifth year to us."
"You think?" asked Katie hopefully. She couldn't stop herself from picturing Cedric presenting her with a large bouquet of flowers and asking her to be his girlfriend. Her stomach gave a hopeful leap as the carriage finished its accent of the long, sloping drive up to the castle and swayed to a halt. The three of them hastened out of the moldy-smelling carriage and towards the welcoming castle. The large oak front doors were open, golden light streaming out onto the grounds as scores of students hurried up the stone front steps to get out of the bitingly cold rain.
The cavernous entrance hall was a welcome sight, with its flaming torches and magnificent marble staircase leading to the upper floors. The door into the Great Hall stood open at the right, and the three friends followed the stream toward it.
"Katie!"
Katie spun around. She could've sworn someone with a deeper voice had just called her name.
"Katie!"
There it was again. Now she knew she wasn't hearing things. She stood on tip-toe in an attempt to see around some of the older students to find a face she recognized. Then, Oliver Wood came pushing through the crowd towards her.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Katie stared at him confusedly. Of course she was fine. He'd just seen her this afternoon. Had someone slipped him a Babbling Beverage?
Her look had obviously told Oliver she thought he was crazy, because he said "No, I haven't been Confunded! The train! The dementors!" He was now gesturing wildly. "First I heard Harry collapsed and I now I hear tell that you went into a trance and ran off for a bit... The whole team's going to—"
"Oliver, I'm fine," interrupted Katie.
"Oh," said Oliver, looking as if he'd expected something more dramatic. "You're sure?" he asked as his brown eyes searched her.
"I'm sure," she responded with as much confidence as she could muster. Her insides were still a bit squirmy, but he didn't need to know that.
"Right. Well, just… here." He grasped her hand and put a Chocolate Frog into it. "It'll help. Now, I've got to find Harry."
And with no more ado, Oliver strode off in the opposite direction. Katie stared after him for a moment, utterly bewildered, but it was like swimming upstream as a sea of black-robed students flowed past her into the Great Hall. So, reluctantly, she allowed herself to be carried along with them.
The Great Hall was even larger than the one she had just left. Four long House tables stretched down the length of it, with Slytherin being closest, then Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and finally her own House of Gryffindor on the far side. Across the front of the hall stood the staff table, with most of the Professors already seated and chatting with their peers as they waited for the students to take their seats. Thousands of lit candles were floating in midair above the tables, their light glimmering on the faces of hundreds of students. The enchanted ceiling was dark and overcast, an identical replica of the sky visible through the tall, mullioned windows. Katie made her way across the Hall and squeezed onto the bench between Alicia and Angelina into the spot they had saved.
"Where were you?" asked Angelina, but before Katie could answer, the whole student body had become silent with anticipation.
Professor Flitwick, a very short man with a shock of white hair, had walked in, carrying a tattered old hat and a worn, three-legged stool. He set this at the front of the Hall, and placed the hat upon it as a line of drenched and fearful-looking eleven-year-olds queued up in the front of the Hall. The Sorting was about to begin.
After a tense minute, a wide rip near the brim of the hat opened and a surprisingly loud and clear voice filled the Great Hall as the Sorting Hat began its song. No one made a sound as it explained about the founding of the School, the four Houses, and its own duty of Sorting each student into the appropriate House. As its last line came to an end, everyone except the nervous first years applauded loudly. Then, Professor Flitwick once again took up his place at the front of the hall, standing shorter than even some of the first years. Pulling a scroll from his robes, he unrolled it and began to read the names off.
"Adams, Julia!" he squeaked.
A pretty girl with dark curls made her way towards the stool, almost slipping in a particularly large puddle. She flushed, but sat down on the stool and placed the hat upon her head. After a moment, the tear at the brim opened once again and called out "RAVENCLAW!" The appropriate table erupted in applause as a relieved Julia walked over and slid gratefully onto the Ravenclaw bench.
The Sorting continued, with each House cheering loudly as one more were added to their number. Finally, "Ziedler, Harold" became a Hufflepuff, and Flitwick removed the hat and stool from the Hall. Katie saw a skinny, dark haired boy enter at the back of the Hall. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and Gryffindor's Quidditch Seeker entered, followed closely by his best friends, gangly and red-haired Ron Weasley (younger brother of the twins) and bushy-haired Hermione Granger, popularly believed to be the smartest witch of her year, and maybe even the few above. Apparently, a few other people had seen them come in, as there was a smattering of whispers and pointing. Just then, however, Katie's attention returned to the front of the room as the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, stood up to speak. Professor Dumbledore, though very old, always gave an impression of great energy. He had several feet of long silver hair and beard, half-moon spectacles, and an extremely crooked nose.
"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast..."
Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."
He paused.
"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises–or even Invisibility Cloaks," he added blandly, and Katie noticed Harry glance meaningfully at Ron. "It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors," he said.
At this, Katie noticed Percy puffing out his chest and looking around impressively. Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound.
"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.
"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Katie took a quick once-over of Professor Lupin. He looked far from impressive. He was actually rather shabby and careworn, if she was to be honest. She would have bet he had been quite strapping not long ago, but that something had made him age beyond his years. She caught Angelina's eye and saw Alicia raise a quizzical eyebrow. There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville Longbottom (another third year Gryffindor) clapped quite a bit harder than the rest.
"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."
The applause was quite a bit more heartfelt this time, being especially tumultuous at the Gryffindor table. Hagrid was ruby-red in the face, and had bowed his head to look down to his dustbin lid-sized hands. Katie could just make out his eyes crinkled in a smile beneath his dark, bushy brows. The applause at the Gryffindor table only died out when Dumbledore began to speak again.
"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"
The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink.
Katie, as her insides were still uneasy, allowed herself only a small helping of shepherd's pie.
Nevertheless, it was a delicious feast; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clatter of knives and forks. At long last, the last morsels of pumpkin tart melted from the golden platters and Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed. Alicia, Angelina—both half-dazed from the amount of food they had just consumed—and Katie followed the rest of the Gryffindors streaming up the marble staircase and, very tired now, along more corridors, up more staircases, to the hidden entrance to Gryffindor Tower, located on the castle's seventh floor. A large portrait of a fat lady in a gaudy pink silk dress asked them, "Password?"
"Coming through, coming through!" Percy called from behind the crowd. "The new password's 'Fortuna Major!'" At this, the portrait swung forward on hidden hinges, revealing a portrait hole through which the tired students clambered. They passed through the plush, red-and-gold decorated common room. Next, the boys and girls separated to go to their respective dormitories, calling sleepy goodnights to each other as they went. Angelina and Alicia bade farewell to Katie on the second landing of the girls' dormitory as they entered a room with a golden plaque on the door reading "Fifth Years." Katie continued farther up the spiral staircase, saying hello to Leanne, who had caught up with her. Finally, she reached the familiar, circular dormitory filled with four-poster beds. Katie saw her trunk resting at the foot of her usual, the second bed to the left. She collapsed onto it and felt the soft covers caress her face.
"Welcome back," she whispered to herself. "This is going to be a magical year."