Chapter
3: A Different Sort of Sorting
"Harry!"
Almost
the moment Harry walked through the barrier, he found it hard to breathe. Hermione and Ginny both had him in a
vice-like embrace.
"I
can't breathe," he managed to gasp and the two girls quickly let go, "Hello,
Hermione. Hi, Ginny. Hey, Ron."
"Hey,
Harry," said Ron as he ambled up, smiling.
"Oh,
Harry, can you believe it?!" Hermione said excitedly, "The Ministry may not
like it, but we're fighting back!"
The
four quickly loaded Harry's trunk and found themselves a compartment. Hermione was talking nonstop about the best
ways to defeat Voldemort, something she had apparently researched about over
the summer, until Ron reminded her that they had the whole train ride to talk
and she needn't tell them everything in five seconds.
After
the train started off, they began playing Exploding Snap. Neville soon joined them and proved himself
a formidable foe. They were, however,
soon interrupted.
Outside
their compartment, they heard rushed footsteps and saw Fred and George race by
the windows. A few minutes later, the
door burst open. A girl Harry had never
seen before practically fell into the compartment, only her hand holding the
doorknob stopped her. Her eyes were a
vivid blue and shown almost as brightly as her smile. Her brown hair was cut short, almost boyish in appearance.
"Did
any of you see which way Fred and George Weasley went?" she asked, panting.
"That
way," Hermione answered, pointing toward the front of the train.
"Thanks,"
the girl replied, laughing as she raced in the opposite direction.
The
whole compartment stared a moment, then Fred and George raced by.
"There
she goes!" cried George.
"We'll
catch her yet!" Fred whooped.
Everyone
stared again. "Okay. That was weird," Hermione broke the silence.
"I
always knew they were girl-chasers, but never literally," Ron mused.
They
compartment laughed, then continued their game of Exploding Snap. The rest of the ride went by with no
distractions.
****
The
first years slowly shuffled in, looking around nervously. Harry was excited for the Sorting. It would be the second one he'd been to,
other than his own. When the last of
the group came in, however, Harry was shocked. There was the girl Fred and George had been chasing. She was a full head taller than any of the
first years and was the only one who didn't look like she was waiting to be
executed.
A
slight murmur went through the crowd, and Harry knew why. The girl didn't look like a first year. When Harry had seen her, he had assumed she
was at least his age. However, the room
soon went silent as the Sorting Hat began to sing.
Since so very long ago,
I've been putting you where you belong.
And though some have protested,
I have never once been wrong.
I've only put in Gryffindor
Those so brave at heart
And you only went to Hufflepuff
If your hard work set you apart.
The brightest that I have ever seen
I put in Ravenclaw
And if you are in Slytherin,
Ambition in you I saw.
Now as you wait anxiously
For me to tell you what to do,
Remember I don't go on my own whims
I go on what resides in you.
So come on up, don't be afraid,
And place me atop your head.
Your mind will tell me what to do
So I can put you in their stead.
The
room burst out in applause, then McGonagall began to read off the names. Harry applauded each time a new Gryffindor
was made, but he watched the brown-haired girl anxiously.
"Zundel,
Azar."
The
only one left, the brown-haired girl walked toward the stool. She waved cheerfully at everyone, blowing a
kiss before she sat down and put the Sorting Hat on her head. She sat there for a minute or so and then,
"RAVENCLAW!"
Fred
and George looked thoroughly disappointed as Azar walked to the cheering
Ravenclaw table.
"I
wonder why she looks so old," Hermione whispered to Harry.
"Dunno. Fred and George might, though."
"George?"
Hermione asked.
George
looked up from his plate, chewing swiftly. "Mm-hm?" he managed to mumble.
"Do
you know why that girl…uh, Azar looks so…old?"
George
swallowed. "Oh yeah, she told us. She's actually a fifth year. Apparently her magical ability just appeared
last year. She had a tutor since
January and is pretty well caught up now."
"Harry,
did you hear that?!" Hermione squealed, clutching his arm.
"Yeah,
yeah. So what?" he asked, prying her
hand off.
"That
is extremely rare! I can't believe
it. She's our age, too!"
"Hey,
I'm feeling kinda left out over here," Ron said, swallowing a bite, "Can we at
least talk about it after I eat?"
Before
Hermione could say anything, Harry joined Ron in scarfing down the meal. Sighing, Hermione began to eat.
They
probably would have talked later, but none of them could hardly keep their eyes
open. Harry laid down, having only
kicked off his shoes and taken off his glasses, and fell asleep
immediately. That night, however, would
not be restful.
~*~*~
A/N: Well, I hope that's somewhat of a cliffhanger.
I hope you like Azar, 'cause she's here to stay! Yeah!
Well, again, enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!!!
Thank you.
-Ady
