Chapter 5: The Feast
The train came to a halt. Simon and Leo got out of their seats. Ted reached for his trunk.
"Don't worry, someone will take care of the trunks," Leo said. Ted didn't like the idea of the Hogwarts staff handling his things, but he knew he had no choice but to allow them to.
Ted followed Leo and Simon off of the train. He felt disoriented from sitting in the train for so long.
"First years! First years!" a voice called. The voice sounded so far away due to how much his ears popped on the train. Ted hated all forms of travel, other than his own two feet.
"You probably have to go with the first years," Simon said. He gestured to a large man holding a lantern and several small wizards gathered around him. Of course, Ted thought bitterly. He joined the group of small wizards surrounding the large man. When Ted got closer he could tell by the man's smell that he was a giant. All of the small wizards stared at Ted.
"I said firs' years only," The giant said.
"It is my first year at Hogwarts so I believe that would make me a first year," Ted replied. A first year boy whispered something to his friends and they snickered in response. Ted imagined himself lifting the boy, squashing him into the shape of a ball, and rolling him into his friends. He shook his head to clear the image from his mind.
"Oh, uh, alrigh'" said the giant. "Everyone follow me!" He bellowed to the group. Ted felt his ear pop again. He followed the giant with the group of young wizards. He had to catch a few who tripped on tree branches and stumbled on slippery rocks. Wizards were so clumsy.
After a short walk they reached the edge of a large lake. Ted looked around for the bridge to cross but couldn't find one. The water began to bubble and several small boats emerged from the lake.
"Everyone climb aboard," The giant yelled. You have got to be kidding me, thought Ted. He climbed into a tiny boat after a group of first years. There was hardly any leg room for Ted. The young wizards starred at Ted the entire boat ride.
"What a scenic journey," Ted said to the group he was sharing a boat with. "You guys sure are missing out by staring at me." All of the kids immediately looked away from Ted. But every few seconds they peaked at Ted out of the corner of their eyes, then looked away quickly. Ted rolled his eyes. Why did wizards have to stare at someone who was different than them?
After the boats crossed the lake the giant helped the students off the boat and led them to a magnificent castle. Maybe this won't be so bad after all, Ted thought. Then a snot-nosed first year accidently stumbled into Ted. Ted resisted the urge to toss him into the lake.
When they entered the castle a woman in emerald green robes was waiting for them. Her face was incredibly stern. If Liam were there Ted would have whispered in his ear, she probably has a wand up her ass, and the pair would have a good laugh. Ted smiled at the thought.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," the woman said in a voice that equaled the sternness of her face. "I am Professor McGonagall, I am the Head Mistress of Hogwarts, and I would like to take this time to personally escort you to the Great Hall. But first I would like to tell you more about Hogwarts." She droned on about some boring information about Hogwarts, and then said something about a sorting ceremony then a feast. Ted perked up when he heard the word feast. He was starving.
He happily followed the other wizards into a large room. The room did not contain a roof, so Ted could see twinkling stars. It would be quite pleasant to dine under the night sky, Ted thought. In the room there were five long tables lined with silverware. Students sat at four of the tables and professors sat at the fifth table. Ted was ready to take an empty seat at one of the student tables, but for some reason, Professor McGonagall led them away from the tables and to a stool which had an ugly hat covered in suture lines sitting on it. A row of stitches ripped open into the shape of a mouth and the hat began to sing:
Welcome one and all
To the greatest magical school
I may just be a hat
But I can promise I'm no fool
For I have been entrusted
To give you all a home
And a close knit circle
With whom you will always roam
You may find a home in Gryffindor
Where the courageous hearts lay
There heroic deeds inspire awe
And from danger they never stray
Or a family in Ravenclaw
Where the clever and witty are found
They can solve any challenge of the mind
For they are the brightest lot around
You may form bonds in Hufflepuff
Amongst the fair and kind at heart
They are accepting of all people
And make loyalty seem like an art
Or you may belong with Slytherins
The lot of ambitious and cunning ones
Their achievements may seem atrocious
But are among the greatest under the sun
Now I will complete the great task
The duty for which I've been sewn
And know there's nothing from me you can mask
For as soon as you put me on
I will know all of what lies in your head
And set you on the path that you belong
So the wizards had found another way to be vile. They segregated the wizards based on their personalities. So what if a smart wizard wanted to hang out with a kind wizard? Or a cunning wizard wanted to hang out with a brave wizard?
"Abrams, David," Professor McGonagall called out. A very small boy shuffled forward and sat on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted after a minute. The students at the side table burst into applause and the boy took a seat at the table.
"Adams Ian," Professor McGonagall announced. She was going in alphabetical order. A boy, even smaller than the previous one, stepped forward.
This time the hat barely touched his head before shouting out "RAVENCLAW!"
Then a horrible thought struck Ted. The hat said: For as soon as you put me on your head I will know all that lies within. What if the hat realized Ted's plans? What if this whole sorting ceremony was a façade and the truth was that the hat was a security measure to find out if a student intended to harm the school or not? What a brilliant security scheme. Surely wizards weren't that brilliant, Ted tried to reassure himself. Even if it wasn't a security system would the hat realize Ted's plans? Would the hat be able to inform the professors about the contents of his mind? Ted felt his throat swell up with anger. What right did these awful wizards have to invade the private sanctity of Ted's mind? This should be considered a crime by the Ministry of Magic!
"Patel, Vijay," Called Professor McGonagall. It was almost Ted's turn.
"RAVENCLAW!" The hat bellowed. The boy scurried off to the Ravenclaw table. A beautiful girl flashed a dazzling smile at the boy, and Ted could almost hear the blood rush to his dick. It was Victoire. "Where the clever and witty are found/They can solve any challenge of the mind /They are clearly the brightest lot around, the hat's voice echoed in Ted's mind. Well the hat couldn't be that good at his job if it put Victoire in Ravenclaw. Victoire must have thought the same thing, because although her mouth was smiling, her eyes and body language screamed that she didn't feel like she belonged at the table.
"Excuse me, but is there a Rowland, Nathaniel here?" said Professor McGonagall sharply. The students who remained to be sorted, and several students at the tables, were murmuring. Ted felt his face and strands of his hair turn scarlet. He stepped forward towards the stools and tried to force his hair to stay the black color he had chosen today, but to no avail. At least the scarlet color was only streaking his hair, instead of turning completely scarlet, despite the snickering he heard from several students.
The professor scowled as Ted took a seat on the stool, but Ted was grateful that she didn't say anything. She dropped the hat on his head and the hat fell over his eyes, completely covering them, so that all he saw was blackness.
Hmmm, the voice of the hat said in his mind. A tricky one. Braver than you appear, smarter than anyone would think, and kinder than you could ever imagine, but where do you belong?
Ha! As if a silly hat can determine who I am and where I belong? Ted thought scornfully.
Ah, but it's all hear inside your head, the hat's voice stated matter-of-factly.
So what if it is? thought Ted. Does that mean these ridiculous parameters should dictate who I should spend my time with?
Of course it shouldn't. The hat said. In fact, with the dark times that are approaching, the students of Hogwarts need to be united now more than ever. And I believe you will be very instrumental in saving the school from the dangers that lie ahead. In order to help you in the right direction I will place you in:
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted. The hat was pulled off his head and the hall was filled with half-hearted cheering and applause, which Ted hardly noticed. Ted felt streaks of his hair turn yellow with shock from the words of the Sorting Hat. The cheering of the crowd increased dramatically.
Ted walked numbly to the Hufflepuff table where several students introduced themselves and shook his hand. Ted nodded and smiled slightly at the students as they introduced themselves, but he wasn't paying attention at all. What had the hat meant when he said that dark times were ahead? And how could he believe Ted would be "instrumental" in saving the school, when he in fact was infiltrating the school? Perhaps the hat saw the nobility in the plight of the werewolves.
"That was a great trick, turning your hair the colors of Hufflepuff," said a familiar voice near Ted.
Ted looked up to see the beaming face of Leo. Ted couldn't help but smile back. Leo sat down in the empty seat next to him.
"I'm glad you're in Hufflepuff. I'm glad I have a friend with me now," said Leo. "Not that I didn't have any friends before." Ted felt better to have Leo with him too.
The last student was sorted, and then Professor McGonagall took her seat at the head of the table of professors. She blabbed about several rules about the school for what seemed like ages. Ted heard something about a forbidden forest. He would have to check that out for sure. Then he heard the words he had been waiting to hear, "Let the feast begin."
Suddenly the table filled with dishes piled with several different food items. Ted watched students help themselves to anything and everything, and nobody seemed to care how much food anyone took. There certainly was a lot, but what if, by some fluke, there wasn't enough?
"Aren't you hungry?" Leo asked as he drizzled gravy over his mashed potatoes.
"Yes. So do we just take whatever we want? What if the food runs out?" Ted asked uncertainly. Leo laughed.
"Food never runs out at Hogwarts. If any dish becomes empty it magically refills itself. So don't be shy. Eat until there's gravy coming out of your ears," said Leo.
That was all the invitation that Ted needed. He piled his plate with some of every dish. And then he piled three more times. He had never eaten so much food in his life. Ted was so lost in the meal that he completely forgot about the troubling things the Sorting Hat had said to him.
As a werewolf Ted had to struggle to get whatever food he could get, and no matter how hard he tried, he never seemed to be able to get enough. In the early days at the werewolf headquarters sometimes the werewolf children had to skip meals, because the werewolves didn't have the resources to provide the kids with food. After a few years of hard work Liam was able to change the conditions, so now the children never went without a meal. It was kind of the school to provide this much food for the children, though Ted was a bit surprised that none of the students seemed morbidly obese.
This food was also much more delicious than anything Ted had ever eaten in his life. Ted wished Liam and Mark could be here with him to enjoy this food. When Ted couldn't eat another bite all the food disappeared. Then the table filled with deserts: platters of rich chocolate and butter cream cakes, bowls of ice cream in every flavor, plates of mouth watering pies, and tarts. Ted didn't know where to begin. Again, he took some of every desert.
After desert all of the dishes disappeared. Professor McGonagall announced that it was time to go to bed. She said that first year students should follow their house prefects to the dorm room. Ted looked around for some Hufflepuff first years, or for some prefects.
"You don't have to go with the first years," said Leo. "I know where the dorms are, I'll take you." Ted felt grateful. It was so awkward to have to travel with the younger kids, and he was afraid that he might strangle the next student who laughed at him for traveling with younger kids.
"When I was sorted into Hufflepuff my dad sent me a letter of congratulations, but from the tone of the letter I could tell he wasn't pleased," said Leo who sounded very pleased. "He was in Slytherin. People talk shit about Hufflepuff students being dorks, but at least they don't say half as bad things about Hufflepuffs that they say about Slytherins. Slytherin is full of psychopaths, and half of them and their moms become dark Wizards."
"Don't listen to this prat," a voice said from behind him. Ted turned to see Simon.
"Ok I have to admit, there is one Slytherin who doesn't need a psychiatrist, Simon Shacklebolt," said Leo.
"What's a psychiatrist? Is that what Hufflepuffs' call their imaginary girlfriends? Hufflepuffs' are known to have imaginary girlfriends. They are also known to wet the bed," said Simon.
"Your last name is Shacklebolt?" Ted asked.
"Yup, I'm related to the Minister of Magic himself. He's my father's second cousin, so I don't what the hell that makes him to me," Simon explained.
Did Simon have to ruin their friendship by being related to the retched Minster of Magic? thought Ted. Maybe Ted could use it to his advantage later on somehow.
"I better get to my dorm. Later," said Simon.
"Later," said Leo with a wave goodbye.
Ted followed Leo out of the Great Hall and down a stone staircase. They reached a large wooden door carved with intricate designs. Leo turned the crystal doorknob and the door swung opened.
"All of the other houses have passwords to enter the common room, and Ravenclaw has a riddle," Leo explained. "But not Hufflepuff, Helga Hufflepuff wanted everyone to be welcome." Ted didn't know who the hell this Helga Hufflepuff was, but it sure was a nice sentiment on her part.
They entered a large room filled with comfy black leather couches and tables; there were some plants in the corners. Leo plopped down on a couch and Ted followed suit. Ted could smell the remnants of the feast from this room.
"The kitchen is literally right down the hall," said Leo, as if he read Ted's mind. "We get to wake up to the smell of fresh cooked waffles every morning, even fresh baked doughnuts." Leo said dreamily.
"Dude you're getting drool on the couch," said Ted. Leo rolled his eyes. They chatted idly for a while then Leo got up to show Ted the dormitories'.
Ted followed Ted down a staircase on the left side of the room. A matching staircase was on the right side of the room. "That's the way to the girls' dorms," Leo explained.
Leo showed him to a door which said 6th year students.
"I'm in fifth year so I'll be in that room," said Leo pointing to the room next door. "Good night."
"Good night," said Ted. He entered the room and saw four other boys sleeping in the room. Great. This enormous castle probably has like half a million rooms in it, but they make five people share one room, thought Ted bitterly.
All of his things had been brought down and placed next to the only empty four poster bed in the room. Ted tried to check if they had opened his trunk and searched it. But the trunk was latched and when Ted opened it everything seemed to be in its place.
Ted opened Sparky's tank and threw in some toad food. Then he climbed into bed. He was so full from the feast, and his bed was so large and comfy, that he immediately fell asleep.
He woke up feeling refreshed, and to the smell of blue berry muffins and hash browns, in the morning.