Author's Note: I would like to thank Hawkins, Jax, and Morwenna for the reviews. Although I know we've been over this twice already, I believe there's some kind of unspoken rule that I say it at the beginning of every chapter: I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO EITHER OF THESE BOOKS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.

Chapter Three: Now What?

The other boys came running (or scurrying or stumbling) when they heard the loud, trumpeting call of the conch. Simon, Piggy, and Samneric, who hadn't been very far away to begin with, got there first; it wasn't long before the band of hunters came jogging out of the forest; then finally the littluns, who usually took about three or four hours to get anywhere, slowly waddled towards Ralph and Jack.
"What is it?"
"Whatsa problem?"
"Now what?"
Ralph held up a hand, vying for silence. "You hunters, you remember those strange people in robes you found? Those people that fainted?"
The hunters nodded solemnly. Roger grinned like he was going to make a smart remark, but said nothing.
Ralph continued. "Well, they're awake now...an' they're kinda batty."
A few of the older boys raised their eyebrows with amusement. "Batty how?" asked one of the hunters.
"Either that or they're magicians or something - they were talking about wands."
Piggy snorted as he tried to clean his glasses. "Wands? Wands don't do no good."
"Shut up, Fatty!" barked Jack.
"Look!" somebody shouted, pointing, calling everyone's attention to the students of Witchcraft and Wizardry slowly emerging from one of the three shelters.

"What are they doing?" Ron hissed in Harry's ear.
Harry shrugged. "I dunno. I've never seen Muggles do anything quite like this before." From his experiences at the Dursley home and the Muggle school he'd attended as a very young child, Muggle ceremonies involved far more noise and confusion and obscene language, and a T.V. or similar was invariably present. Then again, where did you get a T.V. from when you were stranded on an island?
"Maybe they're nutters?" Ron suggested.
Harry nodded. "Could be. Who knows?"
The mages stopped three feet in front of the gathering. Draco stepped forward slightly, surveying the semicircle with a scant sneer. "Who're these?" he asked Ralph and Jack, though he didn't turn to look at them.
Ralph introduced those whose names he knew. He brushed the majority of the younger children aside as "the littluns", causing Hermione to pull a face. *Honestly,* she couldn't help thinking, *it couldn't be that hard to learn names?* Ron, for his part, wondered why Muggle parents named their children things like "Piggy".
Ralph explained to the boys who didn't know what the Hogwarts company was doing on the island, introducing them one by one. He confused the Weasley twins, and Fred and George were quick to take advantage of that ("He's Fred, I'm George"; "No, you're Fred, remember?"; "Oh yeah, I'm Fred and he's Louie").
But when who's-who was sorted out, the question was: now what?