I always dreamed when I would met meet my father for the first time my mother would be there with me and then after we would all become a happy family again, but my mother wasn't here and happy was something I couldn't feel right now. Severus Snape sat in the chair looking like he wanted nothing more then to run from the room. I couldn't say I blamed him. I felt the same way. The ticking of a clock was the only noise in the silence that followed Dumbledore's exit. I wished I could be like Dumbledore in that moment to hear what he was thinking. To see if he was hurting as much as I was about my mother's death. I always thought my mother would live forever. A tear fell from my eye, but I quickly wiped it away before he could see.
A low rumble coming from my stomach finally broke the silence between us"You hungry?" he said."A little I guess." I answered. My father stood quickly, knocking his chair backward. He caught it with one hand.
"I'll take you to the great hall." he said. I stood up slowly and followed him out the room, traveling the same way I had entered early with Professor McGonagall. Exiting the stone gargoyle I quietly followed behind him until we reach another huge set of double doors similar to the ones I saw earlier. He opened one of the door letting me pass through first. The room was huge. Thousands of candles were somehow floating in midair over four long tables and instead of a ordinary ceiling I saw a velvety black sky dotted with hundreds of stars.
"This is where all meals are served here at Hogwarts." My father said steering me over to the front of the hall where another long table sat. Six people sat at the table. I only recognized Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. I went and sat in one of the empty seat next to Dumbledore and my father sat in the empty seat next to mine. Glittering golden plates and goblets sat in front of each person but food was no where in sight.
"Miley, let me introduce you to some of the others professors here at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore said. "This is Professor Sprout. She is the Herbology teacher here." He said motioning to a friendly looking a couple seats away from him. "and this is Professor Flitwick. He is our Charms teacher." I mumbled a hello to each as Dumbledore introduced them. I would of liked to ask what exactly they taught but I didn't say a word as he introduced the last two people as Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher and the last was Madam Pomfrey who was the school nurse I saw in the hospital wing.
"Well, now that's done. Let's eat." Dumbledore said. I looked down at the empty plates in front of me, but gasped when I saw they weren't empty anymore. Chicken, stuffing, and mashed potato and gravy and other delicious looking food filled them. I could only stare as the others around began filling up the plates.
"Dig in, Miley, I promise you there's nothing wrong with it." Dumbledore said to me putting a giant helping of mashed potatoes on his plate and then an even bigger piece of chicken. The food did look good but I didn't really feel like eating. I took a small bit when I was my father look at me sadly. After everyone finished their plates were magically wiped clean and in its place were blocks of ice cream and apple pie and some other desert I had never heard of before. I ate a little more of this and again when everyone was finish the plates were wiped clean. Some of the teacher left after finishing saying a polite goodbye to me and Dumbledore. Soon it was only me, Dumbledore, my father, and Professor McGonagall left in the room. Dumbledore turned to me.
"Well that was delicious don't you think?" he asked me. I nodded my head even though I had hardly ate anything to really judge the taste.
"Good…good." He said.
"I don't know if your father told you, but we all thought it would be best for you to stay her and attend Hogwarts this upcoming year. That's only if you would like too!" Dumbledore said and Professor McGonagall nodded in a agreement. "You will ofcourse need to study hard to catch up to the other students in your grade, but I now you can do it." He added. I didn't know what to say to this. It wasn't like I could turn the offer down. I had no where else to go. Besides I had a chance to get to know my father if I stayed.
"Okay!" I answered.
"Wonderful! We will need to get you sorted into one of the house." he started
"Houses?" I asked."There are four houses in this school. Each house is named after one of the founders of this school. There is Hufflepuff, names after Helga Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw after Rowena Ravenclaw, Gryffindor after Godric Gryffindor and lastly Slytherin, named after Salazar Slytherin. Each student will take classes with that house and live and eat with that house. The houses also compete throughout the school year by earning and losing points for various events and at the end of the year the house with the most points wins the House Cup.
"What house will I be in?" I asked
"That will on depend in the Sorting Hat." Dumbledore said."The Sorting Hat? How can I be sorted by a hat?" I asked confused. Dumbledore smiled."The Sorting Hat, like most things around Hogwarts, is made from magic. It examines each student's mind as he or she wears it and it assigns the student to one of the four houses based on abilities, personality, and preferences.
"What house was my mother in?" I asked him. I heard my father sigh next to me.
"Both of your parents were in Slytherin." He said. I wondered if I would be in the same house. "When will I be sorted?" I asked."Tomorrow. As for know I think its time for you to get some sleep. Professor McGonagall will take you back to the hospital wing while I talk to your father." he said. I nodded my head and followed Professor McGonagall out of the great hall and back to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was back at her desk but stood up when she saw me enter.
"I hope I can trust you not to wander off again without telling me first." She said smiling at me.
"Sorry about that." I told her.
"No apologizes. You've been through a lot. Professor Dumbledore took the liberty of having some of your things brought here for you. They're all next to your bed." She said.
"Thank you." I said leaving them and walking over to the bed I woke up in. There indeed sat most of my stuff from my room, still in there boxes from the move. I couldn't help but wonder what happened to my mother's body. Was she still laying on the floor of her bedroom or had Dumbledore brought her here too. I sat on the bed and picked up my stuffed monkey from the pillow. I heard Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall whispering behind me, but didn't care to turn around. I lifted the lid to one of the boxes and sob broke out when I saw, sitting on top, a picture of me and my mother from when I was younger. I picked it up from the box and touched my mother's face. It was taken the same day my mother surprised me with the stuffed monkey. I couldn't help but think of the fun we had that day. Looking at all the animals and riding the carousal they had over and over until they closed. Tears hit the frame. I curled up in the bed, hugging the picture to myself. The whispering stopped and the room became darker. The only light was from the moon coming through the windows. I closed my eyes and cried. I fell asleep soon after, still clutching the photograph.
Sometime later someone slip a blanket over me and the curtains around me were drawn closed. They gently touched me on the forehead and a soft weeping escaped the person's mouth. I slept on, hearing nothing.