Chapter 3:
Old and weathered,
Slick and feathered,
This old hat,
Knows them all.
Some are tall,
Some are small,
But none of those caps,
Compare to them all!
Being the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,
On that noggin of fat I sat,
To wonder through your mind,
And a place in the four I find.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin,
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So have a seat,
To give me the feat,
Of sorting through your mind.
Once ago many others sat,
To be placed by the one and only,
Hogwarts Sorting Hat!
-Professor of Storms: Soul Suckers-
Professor McGonagall stood up and clapped her hands, making the leftover food on the tables disappear. She stood up and immediately, the hall went silent. Harry and Ron exchanged glances when they noticed a staff chair was still empty. The new Professor hadn't appeared yet.
Nico, Thalia and Annabeth were sitting together at the end closest to the staff table and was each holding a binder in their hands overflowing with papers. They spoke to each other in hushed whispers while stealing glances toward the door.
"I have just a few start-of-term notices to give you; first years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind you that no magic is to be used between the classes in the corridors." She paused to look a few over.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term, anyone interested should contact Madam Hooch." She seemed to sigh in relief as she caught sight of the now occupied seat of the new professor. "I would like to introduce our new professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts; Professor Jackson, who will be representing Gryffindor this year." A round of light applause broke through the room as well as cheering from the Gryffindor table.
Harry felt a punch on his shoulder. "What?"
"Harry, isn't he the guy we saw before?" Ron asked under his breath. "Remember, in the ice cream parlor surrounded by girls?" Harry nodded in realization. He recognized the jet-black hair and sea-green eyes from the same person. Unless that person had a twin or something, he was positive it was him. The Animagus.
"You may have noticed, you may not have, but there are three students that have been walking around and checking up on things around the castle. I would like to introduce them properly," Professor McGonagall said. "These three students I except to be treated like Prefects, that is to say, with the most respect. They will be attending some classes in their house but will be also watching around the school and helping with duties."
Nico stood up. He didn't seem freaked out at all by the stares of many people, which seemed to be a good sign. "I'm Nico Di Angelo, just Nico is fine. I'm Mr. Filch's assistant and I'm in charge of keeping students out of the forest grounds and making sure no magic is used in the corridors as well as reinforcing curfew. I will be taking classes with Slytherin and occasionally Hufflepuff."
He paused and seemed to give off a threatening aura. His expression seemed to darken. "Let me warn you now; don't think you can get away with sneaking around at night anymore. Not unless you wish to be sentenced to the most-"
Thalia stood up and cut him off. She seemed to be in much better spirits than before in the train, but that was just Harry thinking. "Hey, I'm Thalia; I'm not giving you my last name so…just Thalia is fine. I'm Madam Hooch's assistant and I'm in charge of helping out with the Quidditch Trials. I also monitor the teams and the equipment. I will be taking classes with Ravenclaw and occasionally Hufflepuff."
Thalia paused. "Oh, yes. Don't let me find any of you bribing your way into teams. I hate that," she added as an afterthought. Annabeth stood up. To them, her binder seemed to be filled with the most papers but the most organized.
"I'm Annabeth Chase; you can call be Annabeth. I'm Professor McGonagall's assistant and I'm in charge of overall checking class curriculum, extracurricular activities and clubs. I will be taking classes with Gryffindor and occasionally Ravenclaw." She turned to face the crowd.
"I may be the busiest, but I get my work done and I don't slack off. I expect all of you to do the same. I will be in charge of punishing those who do not complete their work as well as general things. Any complaints about anything should be reported to me."
"Students will get their timetables delivered tomorrow morning by these three students. Any questions about them you can ask them. Now that you have all the information you need for the upcoming year, you need rest. Follow your Prefects back to the common room!" Professor McGonagall ended grandly.
Since this was their rerun year, Ron and Hermione weren't Prefects anymore but that didn't stop Hermione's urge to help out. "I mean, look at all of them! It would be fairly quicker if we helped, Ron!" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the new professor getting up and greeting the other professors.
The three turned and exited though the double doors with their house and made their way back to the Gryffindor common room. "So many people from last year came back but really a lot of them didn't," Hermione observed, looking around. "I really hoped we would get to see Neville this year but no luck, huh?"
"What'd you think about the assistants?" Ron asked, looking around.
"I think it's a great idea since the school's basically starting over. A little extra help wouldn't hurt anybody so it's fine, I suppose," Hermione answered. "What about you, Harry?"
"I didn't think Nico, Thalia and Annabeth would be actually doing that kind of thing. It's weird. They're all around our age too, right?" Harry asked, wondering how they would get that kind of position.
"You've got a point," Ron replied, nodding. "Shouldn't they be in class with us then?"
"You're right, but Professor McGonagall must have a reason for having them here," Hermione added. Through the rowdy group of Gryffindor, one voice seemed to cut through all the noise.
"Ten points from Gryffindor." All heads wheeled around to face Annabeth, who was holding two boys by the scruffs of their necks with one hand. "See me in my office tomorrow afternoon." Her other hand was occupied by the binder but she released it and it hovered at eye-level to draw her wand. "Accio!"
A couple dozen of knick-knacks flew out of their robes, some from pockets, and others from their sleeves. Harry recognized a few as Portable Swamp from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The toys flew into a small pouch Annabeth was wearing and disappeared effortlessly.
"You put a concealment charm on it?! Another ten points from Gryffindor!"
"She has an office, too? Man, she's too good," Ron sighed. "We'll never be able to sneak out with her watching."
"Hopefully, we won't have to," Harry muttered back. He was putting all his hopes on having a normal year so that he could finally take a break. Maybe he wouldn't have to choose between saving the world or winning the House Cup. Yeah, maybe.
A/N: So, what do you think? There's not much action in this chapter but I promise you the next one will be more exciting. Take careful consideration to what happened in this chapter; how will Hermione, Ron and Harry sneak out to save the world at night with Nico on watch? What will Quidditch practice be like with Thalia as Madam Hooch's assistant? How will Annabeth decide the two boy's punishments? Stay tuned! Below is an A/N by my beta!
Hi! It's me, AGreyMood, AKA elliefs here! I'm the Beta for Stuffy Puppy, and umm... I have no clue what I'm doing. Uhhhh... Have a nice day? Heh, heh...?