CHAPTER ONE – THE ANNOUNCEMENT
A long table full of students rose to their feet, as they welcomed Teddy Lupin to his new house. The boy, no longer as distressed, appeared to be back to his senses. He pushed the hat out of his head, handed it back to Hagrid and almost ran towards his new and welcoming house mates. As he did so, he turned his hair bright yellow, to match his house. An impressive stunt that won little Teddy some extra clapping.
The fuss did not last long, though, as there were still a few other students to be sorted. Most, Teddy did not know. In fact, on the Hogwarts Express he had had the chance to meet only two other first years – two identically looking girls. Their names, Luna and Styx Volkov.
It took quite a while for the twins to be called out though, and Teddy was starting to get both bored and hungry. Some of his new classmates tried to engage in conversation with him, but the older Hufflepuffs warned them to remain quiet during the selection. There would be plenty of time for chatting during the feast either way. So, Teddy waited, quietly, until Luna Volkov was finally called out.
Of the two twins, Luna had appeared to Teddy as the one who kept most to herself. She wore her long red hair falling around her face and she did not smile much. It wasn't that she looked mean, or upset, though. For the most part, she seemed separate from the world, as if it weren't interesting enough to her bright blue eyes. It was, thereby, a surprise when Luna too was sorted into Hufflepuff.
A surprise not only to Teddy Lupin.
Styx Volkov, now the only student left to be sorted, looked rather astonished and was even mouthing a silent "what?!" to her sister, as Luna smiled, pleased. It was quite the sight, very different from Styx's enthusiastic grins, Teddy thought. But it disappeared just as quickly and unexpectedly as it had showed. Then, Luna too, handed the hat back to Hagrid and ran to take her seat beside Teddy. The boy happily gave her a welcoming pat in the shoulder, which Luna returned with a nod, before turning to watch her sister's selection.
"Volkov, Styx!", Hagrid called. With only one name remaining, Styx had the attention of all the students. Each of the four houses, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and even Slytherin, seemed to be calling to her, begging her to join them. Maybe it was due to their eagerness, or maybe the Sorting Hat was tired of reviewing students' minds; but Styx's sorting was easily the one that took longest that night. It was as if the hat simply could not make its mind. That is, of course, if it really had one.
Teddy was precisely thinking of the sensation he had felt when he had worn the hat himself, when it placed Styx in Ravenclaw and the blue house beamed in contentment. Nevertheless, not all of them cheered. Amongst the crowd of clapping Ravenclaws, another Volkov, with his red locks and thin structure, was still eyeing Luna. The girl, seemingly unware, joined the cheering voices.
Once Styx had taken her seat, the Great Hall fell back to a deadly silence and Minerva McGonagall, current Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, rose to her feet. She opened her mouth to speak, but, just then, the whole room turned dark. The floating candles fell to the ground, their flames gone; the flashes of thunder outside stopped, replaced by dark clouds; and the teachers, up on their chairs, stood, alarmed.
The state of panic only lasted for mere seconds, though. After the silence, there came a crescendo buzzing sound that took the students only a brief moment to identify – hundreds of winged grey letters came flying inside through the grand doors of the Great Hall. Each letter came to halt in front of each student or teacher, while the few remaining letters wandered around near the enchanted ceiling.
Teddy stared, confused and afraid, at his own letter, hovering just a little above his head. He was sure, by the look on the teachers faces, and by the stories that he had heard, that this was no ordinary event. Beside him, Luna stepped hard on his foot but Teddy did not dare look away or make a sound.
"We are sorry to interrupt your speech, Headmistress," the letters spoke in unison, and half the room whispered howlers. "But we too, have words to say.
»To all students, old and new, to all the clever, the brave, the kind and the ambitious, we send out our welcome to a new school year! We're letting you know that this year will not be eventless; it will not be for those who are not curious, not fighters, not helpers and not dreamers. This year we will be testing you, all of you. We'll give you clues, we'll throw you dares, we'll make you face our challenges; so look out for us. For one thing we can promise you – those of you who face them and succeed will receive the most rewarding prize. For we are the Heirs of Hogwarts!"
With the last sentence, all of the Howlers moved in the air, forming, all together, two large letters H. Then they burst into coloured flames and illuminated the Great Hall for a few seconds before they let it fall into dimness once again.