Avery glared at the back of George Weasley's head, which was at the next table over. She hadn't forgotten the incident on the train. He hadn't changed one bit. She still remembered playing with him and his brothers when they were younger. He always thought himself better than her at climbing trees, when in reality she always climbed the highest. She just didn't, as her brother always got angry with her when she did. He was arrogant and now was using that on Alle.

"If you keep staring, you'll burn a hole in his head," Cedric Diggory, an old childhood friend, told her quietly.

"Good." She quickly glanced over her shoulder at Alle, who was staring at the ceiling with a pained expression on her face. "He deserves it."

"He's not that bad."

"He's an annoying little poof." She left no room for argument.

He rolled his eyes but dropped the subject, as the group of first years entered the Great Hall. Avery's eyes were immediately drawn to Harry Potter. She grabbed Cedric's sleeve and tugged on it excitedly.

"There he is!" She hissed. "Harry Potter. I helped him get his school supplies."

"You helped Harry Potter?"

She nodded, and her gaze followed the younger boy. He, along with the majority of his peers, was staring up at the ceiling. A girl beside him was talking quickly, while the ginger boy said a few words. The group stopped at the front of the hall and stood there uncertainly. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on its stool, and the entire hall fell silent. They stared at it expectantly. Its brim widened and it sang:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
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 put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

It bowed to all houses before falling quite still on its stool. McGonagall unrolled her scroll to begin calling out the names. She started by calling, "Abbott, Hannah!" A girl with dark blonde pigtails approached the stool warily. She sat and the hat was placed on her head, falling over her eyes. The hat contemplated for a moment before shouting, "Hufflepuff!"

Avery's house erupted into cheers, the Fat Friar grinning merrily from the end, as the other houses clapped politely. Hannah practically ran to sit down, her pink cheeks becoming even redder. The ceremony seemed to take forever, but it was worth it to see the faces of the recently sorted.

"Potter, Harry!" McGonagall eventually called up. The tables erupted into whispers as the shaggy haired boy made his way to the stool. Avery was excited for the boy; no offense to him, but he probably wasn't Hufflepuff material. She waited for what seemed to be a very long time. Hopefully, the hat wasn't considering, but you never know with these. Finally, it had made up its mind.

"Gryffindor!" It yelled and the table to her left erupted into cheers. She heard the twins yelling, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" There was still whispering, but it began to die down as the next few names were called. The ginger boy, figures he was a Weasley, was sorted, not surprisingly, into Gryffindor with his family. Avery sighed as the last few people were sorted. Finally, Dumbledore came up to speak. He spread his arms wide, welcoming them back home.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!
Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

He then turned to take his seat at the faculty table. Avery swiveled to face the newly appeared food. Cedric chuckled as she immediately started stuffing her face.

"Avery," he said, "it isn't the end of the world. Slow down."

"No! I shan't!" Cedric just shrugged and started inhaling the delicacies himself. Avery looked up to see George Weasley talking excitedly, mouth full of half-chewed meat. She wrinkled her nose and looked away. Disgusting! She would never understand boys and their need to just blab away. Couldn't they just finish chewing and then talk? She focused on her own eating but felt her eyes look again in that direction.

"What's that face for?" Cedric asked, thankfully after he swallowed.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

She looked down as her cheeks heated up from being caught.