Ok, well I wrote this chapter last weekend it's just that I've had some troubles getting logged on to FanFic this week, it woudn't let me in even though I knew my password was right. So, I tried again today and it FINALLY worked! Sorry for posting late!!
This is the 12th chapter….I hope everyone likes it…it's basically the opening ceremonies at Hogwarts and other stuff…..
Once again, I'd like to say that the characters, settings, and etc. belong to J.K. Rowling blah, blah, blah. K, time for the story!!
Ginny:
I began to walk towards the carriages, but leapt back in shock, letting out a gasp of surprise.
"What are those?" I asked.
Luna, walking up behind me, said, "Don't worry, Ginny, they're just thestrals. Remember?"
"Oh ..." I said slowly. I shuddered. "They're much worse than I imagined …"
"I think they're beautiful creatures, though," answered Luna as she continued past the particular carriage I was looking at.
Soon I had climbed into a carriage with Luna and, before we knew it, we had arrived at Hogwarts once again.
The sun had set just minutes ago, and the sky was a pretty shade of lilac as we climbed out of the carriage. I gave another involuntary shudder as I walked past all the thestrals pulling my carriage and walked up the steps to the school.
Once I had gone through the entrance hall and into the Great Hall, I took a seat at the Gryffindor table and waited for the feast to begin. I suppose we must have been right on time, because Professor McGonagall and the line of first years entered the room moments later, before I even had time to look around.
"Good evening, students," she began, after setting the Sorting Hat and the stool in front of the staff table.
The Hall went instantly quiet.
"Thank you," she said coolly. "It is now time for the Sorting Ceremony. We did recover the Sorting Hat from nearly being burned during the battle at Hogwarts shortly before the end of last term."
Everyone clapped and eagerly waited for the Sorting Hat to begin its latest song. After almost a full minute of cheerful, anticipant whispers, it did.
"It's time for a new era of life to begin,
Who ever knew that good Potter would win?
One thing that will stay the same, however,
Is that this is the song of each lovely founder.
Gryffindor, that noble lad, always loved the brave;
Those who he knew would always fight with him until the grave.
Hufflepuff, so fair and kind, did not discriminate;
She always felt, no matter what, they'd learn, at any rate.
Now Slytherin, he had such goals, but did not share her views;
Only ones with driven dreams were ones that he would choose.
Ravenclaw, so intelligent, wanted great learners;
She'd take the ones who, on a test, would be the highest earners.
That's it, that's all, my song is done, and now I wish you well;
On this song for the next year I hope you all will dwell."
Everyone clapped and began chatting about the song until McGonagall cleared her throat and began to call names to be Sorted.
About fifteen minutes later, she began the beginning-of-year speech, saying, "Let us welcome our first years with open arms, and reacquaint ourselves with our peers as well. This year is going to be a very different sort of year for Hogwarts. There is no more danger from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers. I expect you will all be able to focus whole-heartedly on your studies, with a few exceptions, which I will explain later. I know you all want to eat, but first … I would like to introduce our new Muggle Studies, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers."
I looked at the people around her and blinked. These "new" faces weren't so new at all. Sitting next to Professor Slughorn at the end of the table was Professor Grubbly-Plank, who had been a substitute for Hagrid several times, and on Professor McGonagall's right was someone closely resembling Professor Dumbledore … it must have been Aberforth Dumbledore, who Harry had told me all about.
There was, however, one new face; a skinny woman, who looked like she should be a student, was seated in between Hagrid and Professor Sinistra (who taught Astronomy). She was extremely pale, had fair blonde hair, and looked positively tiny (though that quite possibly could have just been because she was sitting next to Hagrid). She also looked positively terrified.
I had no idea which of these people would be teaching which subject, so I listened expectantly as Professor McGonagall resumed her speech.
"A new teacher will be taking over the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. If you were not aware, the Carrows were Death Eaters and are now serving lifetime sentences in Azkaban, and therefore will never be teaching again. Our Muggle Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year will be Professor Kimble, who is new to Hogwarts. Please welcome her as you do your returning teachers."
There was a polite amount of uncertain applause, to which the new teacher nodded nervously, giving a shaky, tentative smile. Everyone had slightly skeptical looks on their faces, as though they were reserving judgment.
"Professor Grubbly-Plank, who has previously taught Care of Magical Creatures as a fine substitute, will be teaching Muggle Studies in place of the other Professor Carrow this year," Professor McGonagall went on.
The applause was impatient and died quickly. No one liked Professor Grubbly-Plank very much; she had an extremely loud, annoying sort of voice and asked too many questions if you were late.
"And we once again have a Professor Dumbledore at our school," Professor McGonagall continued. "This is the well-known headmaster's brother. He will be teaching Transfiguration this year."
The applause this time was hearty and expectant. I suppose they all thought this man would be exactly like his brother, but I doubted it, as he waved impatiently at the applause, and did not give the slightest hint of a smile.
"Now, I'm sure the house-elves have outdone themselves once again. I will not keep you waiting any longer. Let the feast begin!"
The usual mouth-watering assortment of pies, potatoes, side dishes, and other well-selected foods appeared on the golden plates before us all.
I started talking to Yvonne Giartin, who was a girl from my year I had sat down next to.
"How do you reckon the new teacher will be?" she asked as she eagerly awaited her turn to take some beef stew.
"I dunno," I said, my mouth full of steak. I swallowed, and then added, "She seems really nervous."
"Aren't they all on their first day?" she pointed out, ladling stew onto her plate at last.
"Some more than others. She looks like she would do anything a student told her. No one has to worry about getting in trouble from her, I guess," I pointed out.
"Suppose not," answered Yvonne. "That whole thing about no more danger was such an annoying excuse for the teachers to give us more homework. What do you think the exceptions were?"
"Hmm, I don't know …" I said impatiently. I was trying to eat here.
"I don't think it would be anything like the Tri-wizard Tournament," babbled Yvonne, "but I have no idea what it could be …"
"Me neither," I said with finality, licking my lips as I put sour cream on a baked potato.
I ate, rather bored now that Yvonne had gotten the message and moved on to the girl sitting across from her, until even the puddings (which were absolutely scrumptious) had disappeared and McGonagall stood up again.
"I hope you are all well-satisfied with that delicious feast," she began. "I now need to make a few announcements. For one, a reminder that the forest on the edge of the grounds is forbidden. Secondly, Quidditch trials will be in two weeks, on Friday the seventeenth of September at five o'clock. Lastly, I would like to explain the exception I mentioned earlier. We will be having another ball, just as we had four years ago on Christmas. It will be a new annual tradition taking place on New Year's Eve. It will be open to any Hogwarts students, families, and friends. It is a community party that I am sure you will all enjoy."
Coming from anyone but McGonagall, this news would have been cause for quite an uproar, but that woman has a gift, and no one spoke except a couple of first years, who soon realized their mistake and settled into jittery silence.
She smiled kindly at them. "Now, everyone, it is time you all got up to your dormitories. First years, kindly follow the prefects to your rooms, and welcome again."
The noise exploded incredibly the instant she finished talking.
"A ball!" Gretchen Turner, one of my fellow seventh-years, shrieked on my right.
"I know!" agreed her friend Tina Hutchins. "I'm so excited. What about you, Ginny?"
"Well, if anyone was going to start a fun holiday tradition, I wouldn't think it would be McGonagall, but I'll take it," I said.
"Yeah, it'll be great!" said a sixth year named Elizabeth Reins as she pulled her friend along next to her. "Won't it, Lindsay?"
"Yeah," agreed the girl, though she looked like she was the yesman type who was only accepted for backing up her friends' opinions.
"I'm more interested in the new teacher- the ball's just one night, we have to deal with her all year," I pointed out. "Think you'll like her?"
"Yeah, she seems like she'll be real easy," said Yvonne, coming up next to me. "I don't think any class she teaches could possibly be hard."
"I don't know," I said, glancing up at the staff table, where she was talking quietly with Professor McGonagall, who had a motherly, helpful expression on her face. "There's just something weird about her …"
"Like, you think she's faking all this nervousness to look all innocent and sweet?" asked Tina worriedly.
"I wouldn't go that far," I said. "I'm not sure. She's just not going to turn out to be what she looks like, I don't think."
"I think she looks really nice," said Gretchen.
"Are you just going by her clothes?" asked Lindsay scathingly. Coincidentally, the woman was wearing light pink robes that were exactly the same color as a butterfly broach Gretchen had pinned in her hair, the beaded bracelet she had on, and the tube of lip gloss she was playing with absentmindedly.
"No," said Gretchen indignantly.
"I think you people are forgetting that 'afraid of the students' isn't the same thing as 'nice,'" suggested Yvonne idly.
"I'm not sure what my impression of her even is," I said, shaking my head. "But she's going to be more than we bargained for. Mark my words."
At that moment, Professor Kimble came hurrying towards us. The pink heels she was wearing to match her robes clacked along on the stone floors as she caught up with us. She was wearing a kind smile as she glanced at the group of girls who had just reached the entrance hall, as though eating dinner in the same room as all of these kids had already convinced her that we weren't poisonous.
"Good evening, ladies," she said in a normal, cheerful voice. "I look forward to getting the privilege of teaching you all."
"It's always good to throw a new teacher into the mix," Yvonne told her cheerfully. "It makes everything more interesting."
"Well, I do hope I don't bore you," she said. I stared at her, trying to figure out how old I thought she was. Twenty-five, maybe, and that was pushing it big-time.
She blinked and gave a dainty yawn, covering her mouth with a tiny, French-manicured hand.
She laughed and said, "Sorry, it's been a long day, hasn't it? I think it's time we all headed to the dormitories. I know I'm tired. Goodnight!"
She tottered off towards the stairs as all of us called, "Goodnight!" after her politely. She turned around and flashed us a perfectly white smile.
"Ah. I see you've met your new Head of House, Gryffindors?" McGonagall said quietly as she came up behind us. "I hope you like her. I'll miss being Head of House for Gryffindor."
"Why isn't Professor Dumbledore our new Head of House?" I asked indignantly. "You were the Head of House for us while you were a Transfiguration teacher, why isn't our new Head of House the new Transfiguration teacher?"
"I thought it would be best to have two women and two men as Heads of Houses, just like the founders," said McGonagall in surprise. "Why? Don't you like Professor Kimble?"
"Oh, we do," said Tina reassuringly.
"I was just wondering," I said quickly.
"I see," answered McGonagall slowly. "Very well, then. Off to bed."
She turned and walked away towards the stairs, too.
We followed a little bit behind her, and I rolled my eyes as we climbed the stairs.
"This is going to be an interesting week. And possibly year."
K, I wrote another chapter by the end of this week, I guess I just felt so bad! Well, like I say at the end of almost EVERY chapter, I hope you liked it! Keep on sending in those ideas! Just to start up some discussion...I follow MuggleNet (A Harry Potter Website) and someone wrote into them saying that they work at a theater and the 6th Movie Trailer is most probably going to be released with Dark Knight. When I read this I said FINALLY!! Do you guys think the Teaser Trailer will come out with this movie?? I sure hope it does! I've been waiting FOREVER to see it! You can read the full story on mugglenet (It's on the main page)
Au Revoire,
Sunset47
