Ask Me No Questions
Chapter 1
"Oh, I wish they'd hurry up. I'm starving." Ron stared at the golden plate in front of him. It gleamed as though taunting him with its cleanliness.
"Honestly, Ron. Can't you think of something other than your stomach for once? If you had, then you would have noticed that all the first years are already here."
Ron and Harry, who had also been staring at the reflection in his spotless dinner plate, looked up just in time for Professor McGonagall to shout "Agrippa, Cornelius!" A small dark haired boy with large ears stepped away from the line of first years and placed the worn and torn hat on his head. There a moment of silence and then "RAVENCLAW!" Two tables down, the Ravenclaws were cheering on their newest member.
This continued on for another 15 minutes or so, momentarily being interrupted by Hermione's shushing Ron. (It's not my fault my stomach is growling!)
Finally, "Ziggurat, Morgana!" took her seat at the Slytherin table. When the applause died down, Dumbledore rose from his seat. No one but him had noticed the doors to the Great Hall but him as they opened and shut silently moments before. Harry, Ron, and Hermione overheard Dean Thomas whispering "Why isn't he talking?"
Dumbledore looked over all their and smiled at the entrance. "Thank you for joining us Miss Whitman." At this, hundreds of heads turned craning to see who their headmaster was talking to.
A girl stood in front of the large wooden doors. Her tightly curled, auburn hair framed a pale face with only made paler by the fact that her eyes were such a dark green. Her face quickly changed from milk white to crimson as she realized that there were now at least 500 pairs of eyes on her.
"Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry I'm late. You see there was delay in my flight, it took a hour to get this old lady off the plane, and I just can't believe that Aaaahhhhhhh!" Miss Whitman had been running as she said this and had tripped over her robes, causing her slide across the floor, finally stopping right in between the Hufflepuff and Gryfindor tables. Some people gasped. Others -- mostly from the Slytherin corner of the room – howled with laughter. Harry, being the hero that he was, was at her side in moments.
"Here, let me help you." Harry held out his hand to the fallen girl. She hesitated, then grabbed hand and let him pull her up. Not knowing his own strength, he pulled a little too hard. Before either of them knew it, their faces were within inches of each other. Both were breathing heavily. One from just having run very fast and then fallen, and one because he was very close to a very pretty girl.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and smiled to himself. "I would like everyone to meet our newest student, Miss Evelyn Whitman."