Moments after Goyle and I entered the Great Hall Hermione waved me over to the Gryffindor table. I bid Greg farewell and headed towards my new friends. As soon as I sat down I was bombarded with questions. "What were you doing with Goyle?" "Did he threaten you?" "Can he form an actual sentence?" Hermione thumped Ron on the head, "Must you insist on being so rude?" Ron rubbed his head, "Well, I was just wondering." Harry and I were holding our laughter in while Ron and Hermione glared at one another. "Since you were wondering, yes, Ron, he can form an actual sentence. Harry, he didn't threaten me. And Hermione, I was helping him with homework." The three Gryffindors stared at me with shocked expressions. Before another word could be said Dumbledore clapped his hands and the Great Hall was silent. Every student had their eyes locked on the headmaster. "Before we feast a student must be sorted." I could feel the color drain from my face. Dumbledore looked at me, "Miss Iddler if you will…" Professor McGonagall was standing by a stool with an old hat in her hands. The stool was set up in front of the teachers' table. I slowly got up from the Gryffindor table with the help of Hermione and shakily walked towards Professor McGonagall.
After taking a seat in front of everyone in Hogwarts I started tugging on the ends of my hair. It's something I do when all eyes are on me. I hate being the center of attention when something serious is going on. I jumped a little when Professor McGonagall place the sorting hat on my head. "Well, well….I wasn't expecting to be of use so soon." The cracking voice of the sorting hat spoke. I was chewing on my bottom lip to relieve my nerves. "Miss Jenna Iddler is your name I presume. Let's see which house you are suited for, shall we?" My mind was screaming for the hat to just get the sorting over with and it didn't seem to like that. "Quiet down Miss Iddler or the sorting will last much longer." I sighed and continued to chew on my lower lip. "Now let's see…very kind hearted…..maybe Hufflepuff but your smarts are good enough for a Ravenclaw….Hm, you seem to have the aura of a Gryffindor and yet something about you screams Slytherin…." My lip started bleed and I licked the wound clean as the sorting hat went back and forth with the houses. My eyes danced across the Great Hall from table to table, from person to person, until my eyes were locked with, surprisingly, Draco Malfoy.
He face was expressionless except for his eyes. They were showing some kind of emotion I just couldn't what he was feeling. "HUFFINCLAWRIN!" The Great Hall broke out in whispers and hushed conversations. The teachers were all looking at one another with confused and worried expressions. It took me a minute to realize that Huffinclawrin wasn't even a house but all of the houses put together. I mentally asked the sorting hat if it was being serious. It whispered back to me, "Yes, my dear. You belong in each house." I thought it over and decided things could be worse. The only thing bothering me was the fact that a part of me belonged in Slytherin.
"SILENCE!" Professor Dumbledore demanded. It was once again silent in the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall removed the sorting hat from my head and told me to take a seat at my table. When I reminded her I didn't belong to a house she told me to take a seat wherever I wanted. I hopped off the stool and rushed back to the Gryffindor table. I plopped down in between Ron and Harry. "Why can't I be normal?" I asked while burying my face in my hands. Harry put an arm around my shoulders, "I've been asking myself the same thing." I laughed a little and gave him a hug. "Let's eat." Ron fist pumped the air, "Yeah!" Hermione shot him a look from across the table and I forgot for a moment that everyone in the Great Hall was talking about me.
After dinner I was called to the headmaster's office. I was caught off guard when all the teachers were there as well. "Come in, Jenna, come in." The headmaster urged. I gently closed the door behind me and took a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk. Umbridge was shooting me death glares from next to the headmaster while Severus's face was like stone. I cleared my throat and stared at my shoes. "What are we going to do Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked from the far corner of the office. "Well, Severus, I leave the matter up to you." My father figure blinked his eyes quite a few times before speaking. "She'll be in Slytherin." The beady eyed toad giggled. I thought I was going to barf. "Slytherin?" I asked meekly. "She is no Slytherin. If anything she'd be a Gryffindor." Professor McGonagall protested. Professor Flitwick, who was standing on a stool, suggested I be in Ravenclaw and Professor Sprout said I was born for Hufflepuff.
My head was spinning as the teachers argued over which house I should be placed in. Only Umbridge and the headmaster were quiet. "STOP SPEAKING!" The sorting hat screeched. The teachers shut their mouths out of shock instead of respect but what the sorting hat didn't know wouldn't hurt it. "She has been sorted so your quarrel is meaningless. Jenna Iddler belongs in all four houses. She has the wit of a Ravenclaw, the heart of a Hufflepuff, and the courage of a Gryffindor." I looked at the hat skeptically. It didn't say anything about Slytherin but I'm not complaining. "You forgot Slytherin." Umbridge said in her sickly sweet voice. "Ah, you are correct. It's her blood. It screams Slytherin." Professor Dumbledore's office was dead silent and everyone's face was somewhat grim (Not counting Umbridge of course).
The headmaster cleared his throat, "Miss Iddler has been sorted. Her uniform will bear the Hogwarts crest and she shall be in the house of Hogwarts. Points for the house cup will be taken from whichever house is in the lead and given to whichever house is in serious need of them. She will live in Professor Slughorn's old office and use his old classroom as well." Umbridge cleared her throat, "Pardon me, headmaster, but I do not find those circumstances quite fair. Miss Iddler should not be treated any different from the other students. She shall be sorted and then live in her assigned house." I would have crucioed her pink fluffy butt into last week if it wasn't illegal and if Professor Dumbledore wasn't in the room. "Dolores, she has been sorted and she is being treated like most of the other pupils. You see, the prefects have their own special rooms as do the head boy and girl." Professor McGonagall had a small smirk plastered on her face while Umbridge was scowling.
"Severus, if you will, take Miss Iddler to her room." Severus nodded his head and instructed me to follow him. As we walked down an almost deserted corridor the sorting hat's words repeated over and over in my head. "Her blood screams Slytherin." My mother was a Ravenclaw but I'm not sure about anyone else in my family since I've never met them. "Jenna, I know what you are thinking and it would be best if you stopped." Severus is such a know it all. "I heard that Jenna." Stupid Occlumency. "I also heard that." He said in a cocky voice. "Good." I stated half-heartedly. "No questions of your father?" Severus asked in monotone. "You won't answer them." I stated gloomily. Severus sighed, "Your life is so much easier since you do not know him." I perked up a little, "So you're saying he's alive?" Severus quickened his pace, "I keep forgetting your much smarter than most students that I deal with." I felt like jumping for joy. "He is alive!" The potion master stopped in front of an old wooden door. He pulled out his wand, "Alohamora." He unlocked the door and revealed a dusty classroom. Although it was extremely dirty, the room was huge and it was all for me. "That door over there will be your bedroom, the supply closet will be converted into a bathroom since there are not any around here, and this will be your common room." I looked around the classroom in awe. "Uncle Severus, why am I being treated like royalty?" He had an amused smirk on his face, "Uncle Severus? You have not called me that in awhile. Anyway, I have not the slightest clue why you have received this type of hospitality." I smiled to myself. I bet this classroom is bigger then his. "Can I decorate?" Severus's face looked quite bored., "Yes, in a couple of weeks there will be a trip to Hogsmeade. You can get some things there and until this room is cleaned and decorated you will be living in Slytherin house." "Why not Gryffindor?" He looked me straight in the eyes, "Because then I cannot take care of you." I averted my gaze to the ground, "Very well then. I'll be a Slytherin for…." "Four or five months." My jaw went slack and my eyes were probably on Mars. "That long?" Severus just nodded his head. "Now come along. We must get you settled." That's when I left heaven and started my journey to hell.