I own nothing. J.K.R Owns everything :(
Chapter 20: Fifth Year (Part 12)
21, August, 1998...
"I'm only showing the Sorting Hat's song and a speach." Harry told them.
"The rest is mainly us wondering where Hagrid is anyway." Ron added.
"So here's the hat's song." Hermione smiled as James put the memory in the Penseive for Harry.
"In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
'Together we will build and teach!'
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might some day be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
"Slytherin and Gryffindor? I thought they hated each other?" Amber frowned.
"Not exactly, Gryffindor and Slytherin were best friends until Slytherin got into the whole blood purity thing according to the History books." Minerva explained.
"Apparently it was Gryffindor who ended up killing Slytherin." James added, "Because people were begging him to do something."
"I was told that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw asked him to do something to." Luna nodded, "Helena told me a little but she doesn't like talking about it too much."
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest.'
Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest.'
Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name,"
Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same.'
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with duelling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
"I'd imagine that would've happened." Harry nodded sadly. Ron nodded in agreement, knowing Harry meant when he'd left them a few months ago.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether Sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you…
Let the Sorting now begin."
"Well... That was... Different?" Frank guessed.
"And unfortunately we never listened until it was almost too late." Ginny said, "We should've worked towards getting the houses united, instead we ignored the Hat and probably made it worse."
"Until last year when some of the Slytherins and I approached the DA in secret." Astoria nodded, "We all found out how much better it was when all four houses worked against the darkness instead of just three."
"United we stand, divided we fall." Luna said, "That's what I was told growing up. People can always achieve more working together than alone."
Harry nodded, "I know I would have been killed if it weren't for the DA, it helped people make friends with people they otherwise wouldn't have talked to or helped and that's always better than enemies who'd gladly push you off a cliff and watch you hit the bottom."
"The main problem always has been the House rivalries." Minerva mused, "I hope to get rid of them eventually, there not needed and rather stupid. I have a plan to help people realise that."
"What's the plan if you don't mind me asking?" Draco asked.
"To point out it's possible to have friends across all four houses. That it doesn't matter what house they're in." she smiled, "I mean, when you look at it, it's highly possible for Slytherin's and Gryffindor's to get along. Those two are the houses with the lowest tolerance of each other, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are commonly against the Slytherins too."
"But it's possible for all four to be friends." Draco nodded, "If it were impossible I highly doubt I'd be here today."
"Or feel comfortable around so many Gryffindor's." Cissy agreed.
"The Hogwarts houses are a big part of people but it's not all there is to them." Neville said, "If you look at it from a stereotypical point of view, all Gryffindor's are typically stupid and make rash decisions."
"And yet Hermione's one of the smartest students I've ever taught." Minerva smiled proudly, "A lot of the Gryffindor's are loyal enough to be Hufflepuff's or sneaky enough to be Slytherin's."
"The same applies with all the houses, you do get incredibly brave Slytherin's at times. Look at old Snake-face, he was brave enough to keep coming after me." Harry mused, "Or even though you lot don't know about it, Regulus was incredibly brave when he died, even if you lot don't know exactly how yet."
Regulus blushed and shrunk in his seat a little when they all looked at him, "I was terrified actually."
"You still did it." Hermione shrugged.
"Even I was terrified." Harry added, "And it takes a lot to scare me." he shrugged, "Back to the point, it's possible for all four houses to share traits."
"That's exactly what I'm going to be trying to get the students to realise." Minerva nodded.
"And you'll have all the help you need with it." Harry promised, "Now, let's watch a speech. Oh and I'll warn you it's not a normal speech and is likely going to be so boring it's torture."
When all the students had finished eating and the noise level in the Hall was starting to creep upwards again, Dumbledore got to his feet once more. Talking ceased immediately as all turned to lace the Headmaster. Harry was feeling pleasantly drowsy now. His four-poster bed was waiting somewhere above, wonderfully warm and soft...
"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore. "First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students - and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too." (Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged smirks.) "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door."
"Most of them were banned because of us." Sirius proudly announced.
"If not you then Fred and George." Minerva groaned, "Over 300 between the 5 of you."
"We'll take that as a compliment." the twins said together.
"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause, during which Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged slightly panicked looks; Dumbledore had not said for how long Grubbly-Plank would be teaching. Dumbledore continued, Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will take place on the -"
He broke off, looking enquiringly at Professor Umbridge.
"Why? What did the toad do?" asked James.
As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge cleared her throat, "Hem, hem," and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.
Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk.
"At least he has manners," remarked Lily.
"Why thank you." Albus smiled, "I was honestly curious about what she would say though."
Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. Professor Sprout's eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair and Professor McGonagall's mouth was as thin as Harry had ever seen it.
"No one interrupts Albus. Ever." Minerva scowled.
No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.
"No kidding!" said Sirius.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."
Her voice was high-pitched, breathy and little-girlish and, again, Harry felt a powerful rush of dislike that he could not explain to himself; all he knew was that he loathed everything about her, from her stupid voice to her fluffy pink cardigan.
"Everyone agrees." Kingsley muttered.
She gave another little throat-clearing cough ("hem, hem") and continued.
"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"
Harry glanced around. None of the faces he could see looked happy. On the contrary, they all looked rather taken-aback at being addressed as though they were five years old.
"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"
Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins.
"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan," Parvati whispered to Lavender, and both of them lapsed into silent giggles.
They all laughed a little at this.
Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again ("hem, hem"), but when she continued, some of the breathiness had vanished from her voice. She sounded much more businesslike and now her words had a dull learned-by-heart sound to them.
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them for ever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."
Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back to her. Professor McGonagall's dark eyebrows had contracted so that she looked positively hawklike, and Harry distinctly saw her exchange a significant glance with Professor Sprout as Umbridge gave another little "hem, hem" and went on with her speech.
"We both knew what Umbridge was like." Minerva explained, "Fillius hadnt met her before but Pomona remembers having to take points off of her before for saying inappropriate things, occasionally handing out detentions like I did. We knew it was likely she'd pick on both of our houses because of that." she sighed.
"She picked on everyone who didn't wear silver and green." Ron pointed out.
Minerva nodded in recognition, "She did but there wasn't much the staff could do about her, and I checked the detention records." she admitted, "Most of them issued by her was Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's, usually without a valid reason." she shook her head, "Like Harry's, half of his slips don't even have a reason on them." she informed them.
"She couldn't exactly put 'just for the sake of it' on there, could she?" Harry rolled his eyes, "She hated my guts."
"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation..."
Harry found his attentiveness ebbing, as though his brain was slipping in and out of tune.
"You're not alone," said the Marauders.
"We were half asleep at that point." Fred winced, "She had one of those voices that just got on your nerves and since the speech was so boring it sent you to sleep at the same time."
The quiet that always filled the Hall when Dumbledore was speaking was breaking up as students put their heads together, whispering and giggling. Over on the Ravenclaw table Cho Chang was chatting animatedly with her friends. A few seats along from Cho, Luna Lovegood had got out The Quibbler again.
Meanwhile, at the Hufflepuff table Ernie Macmillan was one of the few still staring at Professor Umbridge, but he was glassy-eyed and Harry was sure he was only pretending to listen in an attempt to live up to the new prefect's badge gleaming on his chest.
Professor Umbridge did not seem to notice the restlessness of her audience. Harry had the impression that a full-scale riot could have broken out under her nose and she would have ploughed on with her speech.
"Even if Voldemort came through the front doors?" suggested Sirius.
"Probably." the teens all agreed.
The teachers, however, were still listening very attentively, and Hermione seemed to be drinking in every word Umbridge spoke, though, judging by her expression, they were not at all to her taste.
"... because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."
She sat down.
"Finally!" everyone sighed in relief.
Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though Harry noticed that several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping.
A few students joined in, but most had been taken unawares by the end of the speech, not having listened to more than a few words of it, and before they could start applauding properly, Dumbledore had stood up again.
"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating," he said, bowing to her. "Now, as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held…"
"Yes, it certainly was illuminating," said Hermione in a low voice.
"You cannot have enjoyed that!" said James, shocked.
"Of course not!" she snapped.
"You're not telling me you enjoyed it?" Ron said quietly, turning a glazed face towards Hermione. "That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy."
"I said illuminating, not enjoyable," said Hermione. "It explained a lot."
"Yes, it did." said Remus thoughtfully.
"Did it?" said Harry in surprise. "Sounded like a load of waffle to me."
"There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle," said Hermione grimly.
"Was there?" said Ron blankly.
"How about: 'progress for progress's sake must be discouraged'? How about: 'pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited'?"
"Oh my!" Lily gasped, she shook her head at the curious looks.
"Well, what does that mean?" said Ron impatiently.
"I'll tell you what it means," said Hermione through gritted teeth. "It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts."
"No!" those who had not known - or figured it out - groaned.
"Yes, and nothing good ever comes from messing with Hogwarts." Kingsley said grimly, "A lesson learned twice over the course of the war and a mistake I will never make unless Minerva allows it."
"And as long as it's not unreasonable." Minerva pointed out, "You know I'd never agree to everything unless it was really needed."
"Like the placement of Aurors a few years ago?" Dora asked.
"Exactly, it was appropriate at the time." Minerva nodded.
"I'm considering posting some at Kings Cross actually." Kingsley mused, "Just in case the Death Eaters decide to show themselves."
"I was going to suggest that actually." she chuckled, "And on the train incase any students try anything either. Mainly people hexing the Slytherin's for some of their actions last year."
"Do you honestly think they would Minerva?" Albus questioned from behind them, he was still in the empty portrait so the all turned to look at him.
"It's possible. I know a few of them did some horrid things and that might cause fights and arguments." she stated.
"It is possible, I know a lot of people aren't happy with the Slytherin's." Draco nodded, "Add to the fact there will be the most famous people on the train and at school..." he shrugged, "I'm not saying it's definite but someone might try something. I know of a few people who'd want to get revenge on a few of the younger Slytherin's."
"That settles the matter, I'll tell Gawain and he'll decide on the necessary precautions." Kingsley said.
"I still cant beleive the Ministry was actually interfering with Hogwarts though." Lily said after a moment.
"It was rather annoying." Albus nodded, "But I couldn't find a willing Defence teacher, no one wanted the job so Fudge picked Umbridge for the job." he sighed, "I couldn't stop him."
"I suppose it was bound to happen eventually." Remus sighed, "No offence, Albus but you weren't exactly in the Ministry's good books and neither was Harry. They would've wanted someone there to keep an eye on you both constantly."
"I've never thought of it that way... She had it in for both of us from the start." Harry mused.
"I must agree with that." Albus nodded, "She did seem to keep a close eye on you Harry, and she usually made things inconvenient for me."
"She was nothing but an interfering toad." Hermione growled.
"And she'll rot in Azkaban when she's been caught." Kingsley said soothingly, "Dawlish spoke to me before I came here, and Skull had a breakthrough on her case last night. She should be behind bars by next Wednesday, possibly a little later but definately soon."
"Good. In the meantime we can always show you proof of more of her crimes." Harry stated, "But lets have lunch first."