"Well..."
"We're back."
"To another year at Hogwarts"
"It is so much better than the Dursleys. I just hope no one tries to kill me this year. That's really bad."
"Harry, look, ok, how many times has someone tried to kill you? I want you to tell me exactly how many times they succeeded...well? I'm waiting."
"But Hermione—
"Don't you dare go against me Ron."
"Err... she's right you know, she does have a point."
Hermione stared at Ron with a disgusted look, then rolled her eyes at him and looked towards the High Table.
"What was that for?"
"Shh! The sorting ceremony is about to begin." Hermione then turned around and looked at the line of new students walking up the aisle towards the professors.
"Hey! Those three girls at the back look a little bit old to be first years." Ron exclaimed. One of the girls he was talking about looked over at him, with a questioning look on her face. Hermione then kicked him from under the table. "Ow!"
"Shh!"
Professor Dumbledor then stood up. "Attention, everyone, I have a special announcement to make. This year we have...foreign...exchange...students." This brought murmurs throughout the Great Hall. "Yes, now would Debra, Heidi, and Nellie please step to the front." The three girls that were at the back of the line moved forward to where the sorting hat now stood on its stool.
"I am Professor Mogonagall, when I call your name come forward sit on the stool and the sorting hat will be placed on your head and tell you what house you belong in."
"Heidi Larr." She sat on the stool, and it wasn't long before the hat said "Ravenclaw!" She got up and walked over to the Ravenclaw table and sat at the end by herself. "Debra Lee." She want up and sat down, the hat took a long time before the hat finally shouted, "Slitherin!" She went over to the Slitherin table and sat down next to a boy with blonde hair. "Nellie Romer." She was sorted into Gryffindor. She walked down toward the table and she went up to a boy with bright red hair, and said, "Um. Excuse me," he looked at her, "may I sit here?" He seemed slightly taken aback. "Err, yea." She sat down next to him. He then turned to her and said, "My name is Ron Weasly." "And my name is Janelle Romer." "But they said your name was Nellie." "That's what a lot of people call me. This way people can choose what to call me, I have also gone by hey you." She smiled softly and then turned back towards the high table and watched the rest of the sorting ceremony.
After the feast they went to their separate common rooms. In the Gryfindor common room Ron plopped down near Nellie, and after a while he asked, "Where are you from?" She glanced at him then said, "What's it to you?" "I dunno, you just talk different, and you must not be very foreign, cos you speak English." "Well if you must know, my friends and I are from a place that is just a hop-skip west across the pond." "Oh." He sat there and pondered this for a moment, "that would be?" "So you three are all friends." A girl with bushy brown hair said. "Are you really from the states?" "Yup, I really am." "You three got put in really different houses." "Yea. Your school has a really odd, sorting ceremony. At my old school a quill decided which of the thirteen suites we would be in." Then as sort of an afterthought, "And you are?" "Oh! My name is Hermione Granger." She then took a seat across from their new friend. A boy stood up beside her and said, "And my name is Harry Potter." "Are you really Harry Potter? I've heard a lot about you." Said the new girl. "Yes, I am. Have you really?" "Well yeah, of course I have, you defeated Voldemort, didn't you? How could I not know? But there are a lot of other people who have no clue, it's quite sad really." Hermione then asked, "Why are you and your friends here?" She glanced at her, and looked away fast and did some quick thinking. Then she said, "We are foreign exchange students, why else would we be here?" There was a time of silence between them, while the rest of the common room quieted down and slowly dispersed to there rooms. They were all staring into the fire, and Ron stifled a yawn. Hermione stood up and headed up the stairs to the dormitories, Nellie did the same. When Harry and Ron heard the door close they made their way up to their dorms as well. But when they reached the door, they heard a door open behind them. They turned around and saw Nellie walking towards them carrying a small package. The package was square and wrapped in brown paper, and in the dark, yet moonlit hall it seemed to glow faintly. She looked intently through Harry and spoke, "Mr. Potter, this belongs to you." She held the package out towards him. He glanced at it, and took it gingerly. "What's in it?" "You will find out when you are in the most desperate need of help." The moonlight faded away and she looked at Harry, she dropped her head in a little bow, "Well, goodnight Harry." She looked up and over at Ron, and blushed slightly. "Goodnight Ron." Then she turned around and walked back to the girl's dorm. Ron stared after her, dumbstruck. "Why did she come out to say goodnight?" He saw the package, "Where'd you get that?"
"We're back."
"To another year at Hogwarts"
"It is so much better than the Dursleys. I just hope no one tries to kill me this year. That's really bad."
"Harry, look, ok, how many times has someone tried to kill you? I want you to tell me exactly how many times they succeeded...well? I'm waiting."
"But Hermione—
"Don't you dare go against me Ron."
"Err... she's right you know, she does have a point."
Hermione stared at Ron with a disgusted look, then rolled her eyes at him and looked towards the High Table.
"What was that for?"
"Shh! The sorting ceremony is about to begin." Hermione then turned around and looked at the line of new students walking up the aisle towards the professors.
"Hey! Those three girls at the back look a little bit old to be first years." Ron exclaimed. One of the girls he was talking about looked over at him, with a questioning look on her face. Hermione then kicked him from under the table. "Ow!"
"Shh!"
Professor Dumbledor then stood up. "Attention, everyone, I have a special announcement to make. This year we have...foreign...exchange...students." This brought murmurs throughout the Great Hall. "Yes, now would Debra, Heidi, and Nellie please step to the front." The three girls that were at the back of the line moved forward to where the sorting hat now stood on its stool.
"I am Professor Mogonagall, when I call your name come forward sit on the stool and the sorting hat will be placed on your head and tell you what house you belong in."
"Heidi Larr." She sat on the stool, and it wasn't long before the hat said "Ravenclaw!" She got up and walked over to the Ravenclaw table and sat at the end by herself. "Debra Lee." She want up and sat down, the hat took a long time before the hat finally shouted, "Slitherin!" She went over to the Slitherin table and sat down next to a boy with blonde hair. "Nellie Romer." She was sorted into Gryffindor. She walked down toward the table and she went up to a boy with bright red hair, and said, "Um. Excuse me," he looked at her, "may I sit here?" He seemed slightly taken aback. "Err, yea." She sat down next to him. He then turned to her and said, "My name is Ron Weasly." "And my name is Janelle Romer." "But they said your name was Nellie." "That's what a lot of people call me. This way people can choose what to call me, I have also gone by hey you." She smiled softly and then turned back towards the high table and watched the rest of the sorting ceremony.
After the feast they went to their separate common rooms. In the Gryfindor common room Ron plopped down near Nellie, and after a while he asked, "Where are you from?" She glanced at him then said, "What's it to you?" "I dunno, you just talk different, and you must not be very foreign, cos you speak English." "Well if you must know, my friends and I are from a place that is just a hop-skip west across the pond." "Oh." He sat there and pondered this for a moment, "that would be?" "So you three are all friends." A girl with bushy brown hair said. "Are you really from the states?" "Yup, I really am." "You three got put in really different houses." "Yea. Your school has a really odd, sorting ceremony. At my old school a quill decided which of the thirteen suites we would be in." Then as sort of an afterthought, "And you are?" "Oh! My name is Hermione Granger." She then took a seat across from their new friend. A boy stood up beside her and said, "And my name is Harry Potter." "Are you really Harry Potter? I've heard a lot about you." Said the new girl. "Yes, I am. Have you really?" "Well yeah, of course I have, you defeated Voldemort, didn't you? How could I not know? But there are a lot of other people who have no clue, it's quite sad really." Hermione then asked, "Why are you and your friends here?" She glanced at her, and looked away fast and did some quick thinking. Then she said, "We are foreign exchange students, why else would we be here?" There was a time of silence between them, while the rest of the common room quieted down and slowly dispersed to there rooms. They were all staring into the fire, and Ron stifled a yawn. Hermione stood up and headed up the stairs to the dormitories, Nellie did the same. When Harry and Ron heard the door close they made their way up to their dorms as well. But when they reached the door, they heard a door open behind them. They turned around and saw Nellie walking towards them carrying a small package. The package was square and wrapped in brown paper, and in the dark, yet moonlit hall it seemed to glow faintly. She looked intently through Harry and spoke, "Mr. Potter, this belongs to you." She held the package out towards him. He glanced at it, and took it gingerly. "What's in it?" "You will find out when you are in the most desperate need of help." The moonlight faded away and she looked at Harry, she dropped her head in a little bow, "Well, goodnight Harry." She looked up and over at Ron, and blushed slightly. "Goodnight Ron." Then she turned around and walked back to the girl's dorm. Ron stared after her, dumbstruck. "Why did she come out to say goodnight?" He saw the package, "Where'd you get that?"