Chapter 11

The students watched as most of the professors left as they loaded food onto their plates and ate.

"A new house, this is unexpected." Hermione said. "All the books I've read never said anything about it."

"You heard the hat, the information got lost in time." Susan said.

"But wasn't it written down somewhere?"

Hermione got shrugs in response.

"My father is not going to be happy about this." Draco complained, picking at his food rather than eating it.

"Why?" Aria asked.

"Because I'm a Malfoy, my family have been in Slytherin for generations and it was expected of me to be one as well."

"Why does it matter what house you're in?" Vida asked, the triplets still couldn't understand it.

"Each house has stereotypes to them, Slytherin is usually viewed as the dark house full of dark wizards but it's also seen as where only pureblood children go; my father wanted me to go there because he sees it as the best house and that only his worthy heir could get it, etc."

"That's barbaric!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Normally I'd just say that you just don't understand magical culture, but I have to agree with this one." Susan said. "And it's not just Slytherin. Ravenclaws are seen as stuck up know-it-alls, Hufflepuffs are seen as duffers and is for leftover wizards that don't fit in the other houses, and Gryffindor are seen as idiotic wizards who charge first and ask questions later, it's also seen as the house where all the light wizards go."

"I wonder what our house is going to be labelled as." Neville said.

"Probably nothing good given the looks we're getting." Vida said with a board tone.

"Speaking of getting looked at, your stares are getting annoying. Can you just come out and say it?" Matilda told those looking at her.

"A-are you re-really Heather P-Potter?" Neville stumbled over his words.

"That's my name." Matilda said. "Though I grew up believing it was Matilda so if everyone would be so kind as to call me that instead."

"How are you alive?" Draco asked. "I thought you were meant to be dead."

"No offence, but I thought you were just a made up character." Hermione admitted, there were so many books out there that the excuse was believable.

"We don't know how. I grew up in the muggle world with no knowledge that the family I lived with wasn't my own, we only found out about my real parents and real name not that long ago." Matilda explained.

"Then how do you two know each other?" Susan asked.

"When we were around seven we were both adopted by a very kind woman after our previous guardians proved incapable of taking care of us." Harry explained.

Thankfully, everyone at the table was polite enough to not ask about their previous guardians.

"I wonder what the new house is going to be like, we don't even know the colour or name." Matilda said.

"I wonder where we're going to sleep." Vida translated Layla's sign language.

"Maybe Hogwarts already had a place set up that no one knows about." Harry suggested.

Everyone shrugged.

After as the dinner disappeared and was replaced with desert the teachers returned, the talk on their table had turned towards families.

"I'm muggle born, so I didn't know about magic until I got my letter." Hermione explained. "What about you, Neville?"

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me - he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned - but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced - all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here - they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."

"That's despicable!" Vida cried out. "You could of died."

No one else at the table looked happy about the danger Neville had been placed in either.

"I'm going to write to my aunt about this." Susan said.

"Please don't, they meant well." Neville tried to defend his relatives.

"By what, almost killing you in order to force magic out of you?"

"They should know magic doesn't work that way, you were very lucky with getting dropped out that window." Vida said.

Neville paled when he realised he might have not survived that fall.

"I know it's wrong but they're the only family that can take care of me." He said.

"You should still see a mind healer, regardless of your relatives." Susan advised.

"And get you own wand as well." Aria commented.

"What?" Neville asked as everyone turned to her.

"The wand you have, it's not yours, I can feel it."

"Aria can be sensitive to magic sometimes." Vida explained.

"But...the wand belonged to my father. Gran said I should be honoured to have it." Neville said.

"I was told that a wand chooses its owner when I went to get mine." Hermione said. "That wand won't work well for you since it's not your own, it will make casting more difficult than it needs to be."

"I think that once everything has been settled down you should go to the teachers and tell them you don't have your own wand, hopefully they'll send a letter to your aunt explaining why you can't use your father's wand." Matilda said.

"I guess you're right." Neville agreed.

"And don't forget about seeing a mind healer." Susan put in.

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the a pair of red-haired twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

The Saxton triplets' eyes narrowed in suspicion as a few students around the hall laughed, they vowed to find out what the old man was up to with promising a painful death for entering a corridor without giving an explanation as to why.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry and Matilda noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.

Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" And the school bellowed:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the pair of red-haired twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. At the new table no one had joined in on the mot stupid school song they had every heard; Neville, Susan and Hermione were too shy to sing it while the rest didn't want to give away their dignity by singing it, the triplets had their fingers pushed in their ears due to their collective mild fear of loud noises making the signing unbearable for them.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot! Those of the new house will be staying in some guest quarters until proper arrangements are sorted, Mr Filch will show the way!"

A poor and rather foul looking man, at least in the opinion of the triplets, walked towards the children of the new house.

"Follow me." He grumbled, walking out the Great Hall with the children in tow.

Filch led them along some long corridor until he came to a stop in front of a door.

"Go straight in." He grunted before leaving the children.

Harry pushed open the door and stepped inside with the other children following. The room was fairly plain with a fireplace, couch, table, and two other doors which led to two separate bedrooms. Hermione, Matilda, Susan, Vida, Layla and Aria claimed one room while Harry, Draco and Neville claimed the other room; there was six beds in the girls' room but thy went unclaimed as the triplets always slept on the same bed. Everyone was asleep almost as soon as their heads touched the pillow.