Chamber of the Eternal-3

by Rosannapuppies

Four friends, all in different houses, suspect that their new professor is a vampire. Will they find the mirror of erised before him?

Chapter 3: The Sorting

As they entered, Dasha immediately looked up. The ceiling,

which was of course bewitched to look like the sky outside, was

now a dark, velvet blue, with the stars now scattered

everywhere. She nudged Jai and pointed up. Jai glanced up and

gasped. "Wow! That's amazing!" Dasha looked around

nervously. The four tables were filled with people, all shapes and

sizes and all different ages, between eleven and seventeen. The

line stopped and scattered as they all made their way to the

front, the four friends sticking together. McGongall produced a

scroll of parchment from her robes and opened it. "You are now

to be Sorted into your Houses. I will read your name in

alphabetical order. When you hear your name, come up onto the

platform, sit down on the stool and I shall place the Sorting Hat

on your head. Then you will go and sit down at your House's

table." Here McGonagall paused as the first years absorbed

these instructions. "Aberham, Ashley." A small, freckled girl

hesitantly walked forward and sat down. The moment the hat

touched her head, it instantly shouted, "Hufflepuff!" and the girl,

instantly more relaxed, shuffled off to sit down at the Hufflepuff

table, where everyone welcomed her warmly. And so the list

continued, right up until "Bailey, John!" Which was soon followed

by the cry of "Gryffindor!" Dasha sighed as she waited for the

next name, thinking that it would take forever to reach her, when

she was shaken from her dayreams by Jai. "What?" Dasha

hissed impatiently. "It's your turn!" Jai nudged Dasha towards

the platform. Dasha stopped right in front of it and took a deep

breath. "Okay, calm down, calm down. This is easy, this is easy,"

she said to herself as she sat down on the stool and waited for

McGonagall to place the Sorting Hat on her head. It was just the

right size for her head and blocked out any sound from the Hall.

Dasha sat in silence andd waited. Suddenly, a voice spoke up in

her head. "Oh! My, this'll be difficult. Hmm, yes. You have

courage but it is supremely dominated by your wit and

intelligence. Yes, yes, in fact, I would say it is equal to that of

Rowena Ravenclaw herself! You get a say in this, you know.

What would you prefer?" "Ravenclaw, please, Ravenclaw," she

thought. The voice spoke again. "Ravenclaw? Hmm, not a bad

choice. Yes, very good choice indeed. So be it. Ravenclaw!"

These final words were shouted out loud for the whole Hall to

hear. Dasha relaxed as she stood up and made her way to the

Ravenclaw table. She grinned to her friends, who smiled back,

as she passed the first-year group on her way to the table, and

then sat down next to a tall third-year and shook hands with a

few people who were sitting next to her. "Welcome to Hogwarts,"

said the third-year as he shook her hand. Dasha smiled and

turned her attention towards the Sorting Ceremony.

The list continued to go in alphabetical order, but I shall spare

you the knowledge of the Sorting of every first-year. Let's skip till

Jai's turn.

"Gatward, Jaishana!" Jai smiled as Patrick patted her on the

back and walked forward. Theo had already been Sorted into

Slytherin, but he too, was giving her a small, reassuring smile.

Jai took a deep breath to calm herself. "It's just a hat, it's just a

hat. Calm down Jai, calm down," she whispered to herself as

she sat down. Jai waited impatiently for the Sorting Hat to Sort

her when she heard the same voice that Dasha had heard. "Oh,

this is interesting! You are smart, yes so Ravenclaw could suit

you, but so could Gryffindor, more than so! Difficult, very

difficult…" Jai looked around her and tried to see where the

voice was coming from, then she realised that it was the hat that

was speaking. "Which would you prefer? Ravenclaw or

Gryffindor?" "Gryffindor, I suppose," thought Jai. "Gryffindor?

That would seem to be the right choice. Very well, so be it!

Gryffindor!" The Gryffindor table erupted with cheers as Jai

made her way over. She caught Dasha eye and grinned to her

and received a grin in return. The Hall grew quiet once more and

Jai shook hands with the girl sitting next to her. "Guinness,

Patrick!"

Patrick made his way forward and sat down. The minute the

Sorting Hat touched his head, it immediately yelled "Hufflepuff!"

Patrick sat down at the table, grinning even wider than usual.

McGonagall walked up to her seat at the staff table and chimed

her spoon against her glass goblet. "Let the feast, begin!" She

clapped her hands and food and drinks filled the tables and piled

high on the golden plates. Dasha had never seen this much food

in her whole life. The golden plates were filled with mash, steak,

peas and carrots, a huge jug of gravy, parsnips, corn cobs, and

a lot more different foods. Dasha grinned and chewed on her

corn cob. "Carrots?" asked an older girl, offering her a bowl.

Dasha's mouth was so full, that she could only shake her head

and made some inaudible noise. A boy first-year sitting opposite

her grabbed a chicken leg. "I'm Welsh. Me Dad's a wizard, me

Mum's a Muggle. Bit shocking when she found out," he said

before he tucked into his chicken leg. Dasha laughed. "I'm

Russian and both my parents are Muggles. What's your name?

I'm Dasha by the way." The boy swallowed. "Nice to meet ya,

Dasha. I'm Mikael." He extended his hand across a bowl of

potatoes and shook hands with her. Dasha made a note to

herself to not talk to Mikael when he was eating. What Dasha

didn't see and Jai saw, was Theo glaring at Mikael and not

paying any attention to what his neighbours were saying. After

the main meal was over, the savouries had disappeared and

were replaced by the pudding. There was ice-cream, and cake,

fruit and doughnuts, eclairs and sweets. Dasha took a scoop of

strawberry and chocolate ice-cream and tucked in. She found

out that the girl on her right was called Anastasia and was a

fourth-year.

Now let's move on to Jai.

Once the food had appeared at the Gryffindor table, she

immediately helped herself to a huge amount of mashed

potatoes, gravy, steak and peas. Then she sat there eating and

listening to the conversation of the people next to her. They

were all talking about their families and Hogwarts as well as their

experience with the Sorting Hat. At least the first-years were. Jai

looked up to try and catch Dasha's eye. Jai saw her shake

hands with Mikael but she also saw Theo glowering at him for,

what seemed like, no reason. She decided not to tell Dasha

anything and instead helped herself to some more mash.

Soon it was time for bed. McGonagall up on the platform and

clapped her hands. Everyone grew as they focused their

attention on her. "Before we all head for bed, I would like to say

a few things. For one, first-years and our older students should

be aware, that the Forbidden Forest is strictly out of bounds.

Secondly, the third dungeon on the left is also forbidden to

anyone. Now for some good news, this year, our old

Transfiguration teacher, Professor Bougurst, has decided to

leave Hogwarts for a better job opportunity and so, I would like

to welcome our new Transfiguration teacher, Professor

Transfigurantes! Welcome, Professor." McGonagall gestured to

the staff table and on cue, a tall, dark-haired man with a

strangely pale face stood up. The tables cheered in unison and

Dasha, who despite his strange looks, took an instant liking to

the man and clapped as loud as she could. Professor

McGonagall waited for everyone to grow quiet before she

continued. "And now, off to bed. Prefects, please take your

House's first-years with you." The girl who had offered Dasha

carrots, stood up. "First-years please follow me! First-years! This

way!" Everyone began to get up from the tables and walk out of

the Great Hall. Dasha saw Jai a few people in front of her and

looking behind her she saw Patrick. She couldn't however, see

Theo anywhere. Dasha followed Anastasia and found herself

walking next to Mikael. Soon, the Great Hall was empty. Dasha

looked back and saw a group of Hufflepuff first-years, including

Patrick, walking off towards the kitchens. As they walked up the

staircase Mikael spoke up. "I heard that Ravenclaw Tower is the

the airiest room in Hogwarts." Dasha nodded. "Yes, I read about

it in Hogwarts; a History. It's also incredibly beautiful. I can't wait

to see it!" Mikael agreed and turned to speak to another boy.

Dasha focused her attention on the paintings and didn't even

realise that they had arrived inside the Ravenclaw common

room until she ran headlong into Mikael. "Sorry," she said,

stepping back. The Prefect was saying something about the

dormitories, so Dasha strained to hear. "The Ravenclaw Head of

House is the Charms Professor Flitwick. To get to the

dormitories, pass through the door next to the statue. Boys

dormitories to the left; up or down. Girls, to the right, up or down.

You things are in your dormitories, waiting for you. Goodnight,"

saying so, the Prefect left them to join a group of sixth-years.

Dasha yawned and went off to hoping to find the dormitory

empty. Unfortunately, there were already three girls, with whom

Dasha guessed she was sharing the dormitory, sitting on their

beds and chatting loudly. Dasha paid them no attention and

walked up to her bed. The wood was dark and intricately carved,

with ravens, on each bed post. Dasha ran her hand along the

eiderdown. It was made from sky blue silk and the light from the

candles reflected off it's sheeny material. She quickly changed

into her pyjamas and snuggled down under the eiderdown.

Dasha hoped to fall asleep quickly but the other girls continued

to talk until well past their bedtime. Plus, one of them, who

Dasha thought was wearing a little too much makeup and who

probably had no brains, was curling her hair so their was a

strong smell of burning straw hanging in the air. Dasha

eventually gave up on trying to fall as asleep and listened to

what they were talking about instead. "You've read Hogwarts; a

History haven't you, Evie? Remember how it says that Helga

Hufflepuff loved to eat?" "I reckon the Hufflepuffs still love to eat,

even now!" This was followed by a series of giggles. Dasha

fumed. How mean of them. Patrick was in Hufflepuff, after all.

Soon, she stopped listening to their rabble and began to drift off

to sleep.

Chapter 4: Virtutis Malfoy

Jai woke the next morning and snuggled deeper into the covers.

The she remembered. It was the second day of school today

and there were classes at exactly nine. She sat up and reached

out to check her watch, which lay on the dresser next to her. It

was eight o'clock. Jai rushed out of bed, jumped into her clothes

and snatched up her school books and wand, before sprinting

out the dormitory door. She didn't even pause to check what the

password was and flung open the portrait hole, jumping into the

corridor. She continued in this manner until she reached the

Great Hall. There she walked briskly up to where Dasha, Theo

and Patrick were sitting and flopped down onto the bench. Jai

sighed as she reached for the toast and began to pile up her

plate. "Why are you so late Jai? We've been waiting for ages. I

was going to ask one your fellow Gryffindors where you were,"

said Dasha, frowning as she tucked into her breakfast. "I slept

in! I woke just ten minutes ago! This is so disastrous," Jai

exclaimed, beginning to demolish her food at top speed. Theo

smirked as he drank some of his pumpkin juice. "Do you know

what classes we have today?" he asked Patrick. Patrick

swallowed and began to rummage in his bag. "No, but we can

have a look. Professor McGonagall came around with our

timetables. Oh, by the way, here's yours Jai. Found it!" Patrick

pulled out an already crumpled card and read from it. "Muggle

Studies (nine o'clock), Herbology (ten o'clock), Magical

Creatures (eleven thirty), Transfiguration (one thirty-five)..."

"And then we've got lunch break from one thirty-five till two,"

interrupted Theo, reading from his schedule. "Then there's

'Homework Time', from two till three, and that's it," he

announced, putting down his schedule. "It sounds so boring.

The only mildly interesting class is Defence Against the Dark

Arts," continued Theo casually. "Not true! They're all very

important and the only remotely boring on would be Muggle

Studies! In fact, they're all very interesting!" exclaimed Dasha,

getting riled up at once. Theo was about to say something in

return when Patrick spoke. "Okay, stop i' you two! Opinions vary

so there's no need to force 'em on other people." Theo nodded.

"Sure." Dasha said nothing and waited for Jai to finish her

breakfast. When she had finished, Jai checked her watch.

"Guys, we've only got ten minutes left till class!" Dasha jumped

up. "Let's go!" she cried, grabbing Theo by the arm, painfully,

and dragging him out the Great Hall. Jai and Patrick quickly

followed them.

The four of them arrived just in time to enter the classroom with

the remaining first-years. Jai quickly hurried in and sat down

next to Dasha, pulling out her quill and parchment. Standing

next to the blackboard was a short woman with piggy little eyes.

"Sit down, sit down please! Quiet! Quiet!" shouted the woman in

a squeaky high-pitched voice. The class quietened and roll was

called. The woman put down her clipboard. "Welcome to

Hogwarts, first-years. I am Professor Helena Botts. I shall teach

everything you need to know about Muggles. First of all, how

many of you live amongst Muggles?" Jai and Dasha raise their

hands while Theo tried to look pleased and not at all disgusted.

"Good very good. For those of you who put your hands up,

answer this question; What is a fridge used for, and what spell

do wizards use as an alternative?" Jai knew what a fridge was

for; having used one her whole life. But she had no idea what

alternative spell could be used. Dasha, however, only thought

for a moment before putting her hand up. Professor Botts

smiled. "Ah Miss?-" "Bran." "Miss Bran, do you know the

answer?" Dasha nodded. "Very well, tell us." "A fridge is used to

store food, liquids and objects in. The alternative spell that can

be used in place of a fridge is a Cooling Charm," recited Dasha

at top speed. Professor Botts nodded, still smiling pleasantly.

"Very good. Five points to Ravenclaw." Dasha grinned and high-

fived Jai, who pretended to cry with frustration. As Professor

Botts continued to talk about ambulances and telephones, Jai

whispered to Dasha, "How did you know about the Cooling

Charm?" Dasha looked pleased with herself. "I read it in one of

our spell books." Jai stared at her in amazement. "You've

already read it?" Dasha nodded. "I've only got five more pages

left, but I think I'll re-read it after wards." Jai shook her head in

awe and took a piece of parchment from a scared looking first-

year. She looked at the parchment carefully and read the first

few questions. "What do Muggles use a cellphone for? This is

gonna be easy!" Jai grinned and looked up at Professor Botts.

"Start filling in the sheets...now!" Jai instantly set to work writing

and didn't hesitate with any of the questions. She finished as few

moments after Dasha and looking around, Jai saw that they

were the only ones who had finished. She glanced over at

Patrick. He was staring at his sheet with his quill poised above

the parchment and looked extremely concentrated. Jai tried not

to laugh as she looked behind her at Theo. Theo, even though

he was lounging in his chair, was concentrated too and was

looking up at the ceiling. Jai leaned back and waited, watching

Dasha as she checked through her test sheets.

Soon, everyone was finished, and the same boy came around again to collect the sheets. Jai noticed that he was a Gryffindor

and gave him a small smile, which he timidly returned. "Thank

you, Mr Higgins. Next week, by Monday, I should like ten inches

of parchment on the uses of TVs and computers. Class

dismissed," said Professor Botts, pointing her wand and opening

the door. They all eagerly rushed out the classroom and

immediately began talking.

"Professor Botts was really nice!" said Jai as they turned down the corridor. Theo sighed in exasperation, causing Jai to glare at him. Dasha grinned as she rummaged in her bag. "I thought that test was extremely easy and yes Jai, she was very nice. What about you guys?" Theo sighed as he shouldered his backpack. "It was pretty easy." Patrick pulled out his schedule. "Right, guys, we've got to get to Herbology. What time is it, Jai?" She checked her watch. "It's nine-fifty right now! Come on! Let's go!" She and Patrick sprinted out of sight around the corner. Dasha and Theo were just about follow them when they were stopped by a voice. "Hey there, Lincoln! Pretty easy test, right?" They slowly turned around. Swaggering towards them was a lanky boy, with dirty blonde hair and a sneer on his face. Theo smirked. "I suppose so. I wouldn't really know since I don't live amongst Muggles, do I, Malfoy?" he asked in a dangerous tone. Malfoy shook his head. "I would like to think not, Theodore. Who is this, you're girlfriend?" he asked, glancing at Dasha, who was beside Theo. She stepped forward. "I am his friend. If you're so immature that you think I'm his girlfriend, you must be a five-year old," she said folding her arms and glaring at him. Theo's ears turned slightly red, but no one noticed, because all the attention was on Malfoy. He leaned forward so that his face was closer to hers. "How dare you speak to me like that? You're obviously a Mudblood and even though you're in Ravenclaw, let me tell you this. You are stupid," he said quietly, straightening again. Dasha was about to say something when she was interrupted. "Oi, watch it Malfoy! She's my friend so if you say that again, you better watch out. Come on, we're gonna be late," said Theo, taking her by the arm and walking off in the direction that Jai and Patrick had taken. For a minute, there was silence between the two. Then Dasha spoke up. "Was that Virtutis Malfoy, son of Draco Malfoy, the Head of The Department of Mysteries?" she asked, not looking at him. "Yes," replied Theo, letting go of her arm, not slowing down. "Draco Malfoy and my father are close friends but Virtutis is nothing like his father." Dasha nodded and the silence resumed until they reached the Green Houses. There, everyone was already inside, waiting for Professor Longbottom to come in. They were still waiting for the Herbology professor, when they heard the sound of something falling on hard stone. Theo looked over the table. Proffessor Longbottom was lying on the floor. He quickly stood up and rearranged his hat, which had been sitting on a strange angle. "Welcome, first-years! Today we will be planting Man-Eating Sunflowers. Who can tell me about them?" Dasha raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Bran?" "A Man-Eating Sunflower appears to the eye like a normal sunflower, but upon touch, the leaves will reveal sharp teeth and attempt to eat you. Man-Eating Sunflower oil is a well known cure for non-magic flu, also known as the magic draining cold." Professor Longbottom nodded. "Excellent. Five points to Ravenclaw. Now, put on your dragon hide gloves, for protection. Since our sunflowers are only seedlings, they will not try to eat you, but they will bite you. You each have a pot in front of you. Fill it with soil and..." With a loud thud, Longbottom fell down again as he tripped over his long robes. Patrick and another Huffle-puff helped him up. "Are you alright, Professor?" he nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks Guinness, Hopkins." They returned to they're spot in front of the table an resumed listening to the professor. "As I was saying, fill your pot with soil and make a small hole in your soil for the sunflower. I will come round with a tray, from which you will take out your seedling and plant it in your pot. To take out your seedling, you must grab it by the leaves and pull it sharply up, out of the soil. Get ready, I'll come round in a moment." He turned and left them. Malfoy sneered. "What a clumsy idiot! My father told me that Professor Longbottom had killed one Voldemort's Horcruxes. Now I see why such an oaf is Head of Gryffindor. Ears as big as an elephant's, they are." The Slytherins laughed loudly, nodding in agreement. Jai felt her face heating up. "Shut up," she said quietly. Malfoy leaned over, smiling mockingly. "Did you say something?" Jai clenched her fists. "I did. I told you to shut your, big, fat mouth!" she said menacingly. "Ooh, you did, huh?" he asked mockingly. "If you have problems with Gryffindor, then you must be nothing more than a stuck-up, pure-blood crazy git!" spat Jai. Malfoy's face paled as he took out his wand. "You'll regret that!" He raised his wand. Jai stood where she was, scared but not moving. "Calv-," began Malfoy, when suddenly, his wand flew out of his hand and landed near the head of table. "Mr Malfoy, put away your wand and leave. I will not tolerate cursing or hexing in this class. Fifty points from Slytherin." Everyone turned in the direction that the voice had come from. Professor Longbottom took up Malfoy's wand and gave it back to him. Malfoy took it and shoving it into his pocket, left the greenhouse. Everyone was deadly quiet and Jai grinning, saw the sullen faces of the Slytherins staring back at her. Dasha reached across Patrick and high fived her, everyone, apart from the Slytherins, grinned, even Professor Longbottom looked pleased with himself. He handed out the seedlings and pulled on his gloves. "On three remove your seedlings. One, two, three," he counted, as everyone grabbed their seedlings and pulled them from the little pots in which they were. As soon as Patrick touched his seedlings leaves, they closed around his hand but he ignored the tickling sensation. He quickly thrust his seedlings into the bigger pot and quickly covered it in soil, avoiding its teeth. Dasha was having a bit more trouble with hers. "Get off me! Get off me!" Dasha's seedling had sunk its teeth into her glove and wasn't coming off. Jai laughed as she helped pull it off. Dasha chucked her seedling into the pot and covered it with soil so that she couldn't see it. "Thanks, Jai," she said, sighing and taking a step back. Soon the Herbology class was over and everyone began filing out of the Greenhouses. Jai stayed behind, saying she would catch up with her friends at Hagrid's Hut. She stood, waiting patiently for Professor Longbottom to come around the front when she heard a snap. Jai ran around the corner to see what had happened. "I really need to get shorter robes," said a voice, in an amused tone. Jai looked down and saw Professor Longbottom lying on the ground. "Are you okay, sir?" She asked helping him up. He nodded. "I'm fine. You're Miss Gatward, correct?" he asked, cleaning himself off with his wand. She nodded. "Well, what is it, Miss Gatward?" he asked, pointing his wand at a sack and lifting it in the air. Jai smiled. "I just wanted to say thank for stopping Malfoy from hexing me. Also, I wanted to ask, are you Head of Gryffindor?" Professor Longbottom smiled as the left the Greenhouse. "You're very welcome, Miss Gatward. I think Mr Malfoy should learn to control his anger. And yes, I am Head of Gryffindor. I hope you make our House proud, Miss Gatward. Now, off you go to Hagrid's Hut. Go on!" he said, pointing it out for her. Jai waved goodbye and ran off in the pointed out direction.

At Hagrid's Hut, all the first-years were already assembled around him when Jai got there. Hagrid was standing next to a large cage, on top of which lay an enormous cloak. The cage itself was vibrating slightly and rattling ominously. "Welcome first-years! Today I'm going to show you how to take care o' fairies! I'm sure the ladies will be interested!" With a flourish, he threw the cloak of the cage. Inside the cage, little lights in the shape of a human, were floating in the air. The girls all drew closer to get a better look while most of the boys began to talk, mildly interested in the fairies. A Slytherin girl stuck her finger into the cage and waved it about. Immediately, at least two of the lights rushed at it and sunk their teeth into it. The girl screamed and withdrew her finger, knocking out some of the fairies against the cage by doing so. Everyone drew back from the fairies and the Slytherin girls gathered around the injured girl. Dasha came up to Hagrid. "Sir, I think she should be taken to the Hospital wing." He nodded. "I'll take her meself. Class dismissed!" he called, leading her away towards the castle.

Since they had half an hour left, the four friends decided to hang out in the grounds. Theo casually leaned against a tree as he watched the Giant Squid wave it's tentacles. Patrick sat down next to him, watching Dasha and Jai practise some spells. "You know that the Great Squid is supposedly Godric Gryffindor as an Animagus," announced Patrick, watching Dasha produce sparks. Theo laughed out loud. The girls turned around and stared. "Are you laughing at us?" asked Jai with mock offence. Theo, who didn't particularly like the way she was holding her wand, hastily shook his head. "No, it's just that Patrick said something funny so I laughed." Jai relaxed and turned back to their practice. Suddenly, without even saying anything, purple coloured butterflies, which shimmered glittered in the sunlight, appeared from Dasha's wand tip. She grinned as the butterflies flew up into the sky and disappeared. Now it was Jai's turn. She pointed her wand at a book in her hand and made a swishing wrist movement. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The book floated up as Jai directed it higher into the air. It was still floating when Dasha pointed her wand at it. "Accio book!" Suddenly, the book stopped floating and came rushing into her hands. She smirked and handed Jai he book. Jai grinned as she sat down. Dasha remained standing. "Jai, what's the time now?" She checked her watch. "We've got ten minutes left. Should we get going or wait?" Theo stood up and helped Patrick up beside him. "I think we should get going, guys. Let's go!" He grabbed his bag and waited for the others. "Race you to the front doors!" and with that being said, he took off, forcing the others into a sprint to catch up with him.