Thanks for all the reviews! I hope to improve with it! If you don't mind, please continue giving them! Thanks with all my heart! =)
Professor Seadra took out a plain hat.
"A cousin of the sorting hat?" whispered Ron to Harry.
The hat was probably not as ancient as the sorting hat. It was long and not pointed but curved. It was darkish-blue and made of velvet. It shimmered lightly as Professor Seadra put it down on a table.
"This is the Matching Hat." Professor Seadra said, and some of the older students eyes glittered.
"We are going to continue a great Hogwarts Tradition to strengthen ties between the houses." Harry noticed her eyes fell on Gryffindor and Slytherin table.
"All the heads of the various houses have given the Matching Hat the student's information." Professor Seadra continued. "The Matching Hat will then match (true to its name) a girl from one house with a boy from another house. Note that some pairs may be of the same house. The pairs will work together (I assume) to accomplish and complete various missions and tasks set by Professor Dumbledore and me."
Everybody started talking at once as Professor Seadra kept the hat. This Hogwarts tradition was nicknamed, "The Matchmaking Tradition" as most of the pairs end up as couples. The tradition was held every decade.
Harry's eyes unconsciously fell on Cho Chang.
"The girls of every house will come and meet me in the Defence against the darks classroom to pick their partner from the Matching Hat, after desert. I will announce the first task at breakfast tomorrow with Professor Hagrid (I don't know what they call Hagrid, sorry!)." Professor Seadra said smiling and went to sit down at the teacher's table.
Professor Dumbledore then started the feast.
"This is so exciting!" Aurora said to Hermione smiling.
"How was your old school like?" Harry asked.
Aurora's face turned slightly thoughtful then sheepish. "I have never been to school. Private schooling."
Then there was an awkward silence.
Ron then smiled. "I wonder who would be so LUCKY to get paired with Draco."
All of them chuckled.
Aurora looked bewildered. "Who is this Draco?"
Hermione gave a slight grimace. "He is a snobby git, very proud and rich. He is part of the Slytherins." (I will be changing Draco's personality… hope you guys don't mind!)
Harry noticed that all the girls ate extremely fast today, probably because they were all excited to find out who were their partners.
Ron and Harry waited for Aurora, Hermione and Ginny in the Gryffindor Main Room.
"I wonder who will be our partners." Ron said suddenly.
Harry nodded. He kept thinking of Cho…
Fred and George came then smiling. "We have found our partners."
Harry and Ron stood up. "Who?"
Fred smiled. "You wouldn't believe this!"
George nodded overwhelmed with hmm.. if you can call this happiness. "They are from Ravenclaw."
"They?" Harry asked astonished.
"Yes. The Lemon twins from Ravenclaw, Ginger and Pepper." Fred said. "Big coincidence."
Neville came then with Dean and Semus. "I don't think it's a coincidence. Grandma told me that she met Grandpa during the Matchmaking tradition. She said it's all fated."
Harry, Ron, Dean and Semus laughed. "No way."
The Defence against the Dark classroom looked slightly different. Hermione guessed it was because the teacher was a female this time.
Though Aurora and Ginny insisted there was no difference between a male or female teacher.
All the girls queued up in a single line with a sort of hushed silence full of anticipation.
They could tell it was powerful magic at work.
When you look in the hat it was empty, then you put your hand in and an envelope appears.
Hermione looked at her envelope excitedly and so did Aurora and Ginny.
Then Ginny said something. "What if we get paired with a stranger!"
Hermione made a face. "I hope not. I hope to get an A for the tasks."
Aurora smiled. "Everybody is a stranger to me."
They decided to open their envelopes back in the Main Room.
Harry and Ron were waiting quite impatiently for them. "Took you long enough to come back!"
The three smiled apologetically. "Professor Seadra gave us a talk about how we were not suppose to tell people about our partners till we tell our partners."
Harry and Ron's face fell. "You mean all that wait and we don't get to know?"
Aurora laughed. "Well who knows our partners might be you!"
Hermione opened her envelope first. She looked shocked at who her partner was. "I can't believe this. I didn't expect it!"
Harry smiled. "So who the lucky guy is?"
Ron chuckled. "You mean who the poor guy is going to be, carrying all of Hermione's books and…"
Hermione hit Ron's head with a devilish grin. "That poor guy is you!"
Ron took Hermione's letter then he gasped. "The hat was rigged!"
Harry turned to Aurora and Ginny chuckling. "What about you guys?"
Aurora chuckled. "Something must be at work." She turned over the envelope. "Harry Potter."
Harry looked stunned, but surprisingly he didn't feel disappointed.
Aurora whispered to Harry. "I can switch with Cho if you want."
Harry turned slightly pink and startled. "How did you know?" He whispered back.
Aurora winked. "Girls' intuition."
Harry smiled. "No, really I am happy that you are my partner." And Harry found that he really meant it.
Then they all turned to Ginny. "Who did you get? Come on tell us!"
Ginny opened her envelope tentatively. She gasped when she saw the name. Quickly she hid the envelope in her cloak.
Harry looked surprised. "Who did you get?"
Ginny smiled. "Er… we can't tell yet. Good night!"
Ginny disappeared into the girls' dormitory.
Aurora and Hermione looked at each other stunned. "Who could possibly frighten Ginny so much?"
Harry sighed blissfully as he sat on his four-poster bed. "I love Hogwarts."
Ron didn't answer.
"Ron!"
"Yes?" Ron said startled.
"What are you thinking anyway?" Harry asked as he unpacked some of his stuff and placed the Dragonscale poster near his bed.
"The tradition and what Neville said." Ron said blushing a little.
Harry startled dropped the poster. "You don't mean that you think you and Hermione…"
Ron turned bright red. "No way! I was just thinking about Ginny that's all." Then Ron quickly went to bed without unpacking.
Harry looked stunned at this outburst from Ron. Then even more stunned he thought of Aurora. Harry wondered how she looked like without her spectacles, which hid most of her face.
Harry slapped his forehead. "What am I thinking!" Then Harry went to bed wondering about the first task.
"It's such a good thing I met you guys." Aurora said smiling as she unpacked. Her bed was next to Hermione's. (Arranged by Professor McGonagall)
"Do you have any good friends?" Hermione asked as she took out the Dragonscale poster and pinned it up.
"No, not really. I have never been around kids my age.' Aurora said smiling wistfully.
"Drat!" Hermione said as she tried to pin the poster up.
"Let me help you!" Aurora said chuckling and pinned the poster up.
"Thanks!" Hermione said as she got off the stool she borrowed. Hermione accidentally tripped and fell on Aurora knocking Aurora's specs off.
"Aurora!" Hermione gasped as she saw Aurora's face.
Aurora looked pleadingly. "Swear you will not tell anyone!"
" I Promise."
The dining hall was in a buzz. Everybody was meeting their partners and guessing eagerly what the first task was about. Hagrid had a funny smile on his face but he was not telling anyone what the first task was.
Hagrid pushed in a big carton and Professor Seadra came in the dining hall.
Everybody fell silent.
What do you think? Is this ok? I have changed some of the characters a little… hope you don't mind! Thanks for reading!