I apologize for taking so long in posting the second chapter. Let us say I
got preoccupied with my own little projects and such. That, and I'm slowly
trying to learn to have a social life. Anyway, enjoy Chapter 2. Know that
Chapter 3 is in the works already. Please Read and Review!
Chapter 2: A Sinister Sorting
Kelven Lentz walked up to Professor McGonagall calmly, trying to understand the magic that powered an object such as the Sorting Hat. He had heard of artifacts such as these existing all throughout the wizarding world, but had never seen one up close, and he was left puzzled by the stories people had told him of it.
"A sentient hat that tells people where to go?" thought the young wizard. He looked at the Sorting Hat at as it spoke to the congregation, calling forth the name of the house of Ravenclaw to the cheers and applause of the young girl it had just sat on and the people who would become her family. It was an odd thing for him, more for what drove the hat to live rather than its ability to reason and choose.
There was certainly no doubt as to its enchantment, but it perplexed him to have no inkling as to what gave the ragged old hat sentience. Yet there he was, sitting, waiting for the Professor McGonagall to place it on his head. The thought of having his entire life known by a ragged, old hat, however enchanted it may be, slowly unsettled him.
Dumbledore could see the young wizard's discomfort. "It cannot hurt you," Dumbledore reassured Kelven, "for it is only there to tell us which house is meant for you. Kelven nodded at the headmaster's reassuring words and closed his eyes.
The Sorting was about to begin.
-------
"Interesting . . . interesting indeed," said the Sorting Hat to Kelven. "You have many stories to tell, many interesting little things that make it very hard for me."
"I'm sorry . . . sir?" replied the mage, trying to determine whether a hat would have a gender. "I'm afraid this is rather unsettling for one such as myself, not to mention the fact that I cannot really understand what you mean. In what way have I made it very hard for you? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Humility too!" exclaimed the hat. "You have many interesting qualities that make it very difficult for me to choose a school for you. You must have been very strong to fight all of these . . ."
"I would rather that you not go there," was his curt interruption. "If you can truly read my mind and know all there is about me, then I shall accept it as fate that you now know. And now that you know all that I am, and where I have been, where shall you place me?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Well, there are many things. You are gifted, this is certain. Your heart, however, is torn. I remember one such as you who made it difficult for me to choose."
"Harry Potter, I would have to presume. I have heard many of the stories about your sortings, and his comes readily to mind."
"You are correct, though you are much, much more difficult. I can see that the both of you have your own special gifts, and your own will to persevere is stronger than most. He, however, knew where he wished to go, but you . . . you have come to learn all you can, only to leave and . . ."
"Yes," was all Kelven could say.
"Then I shall not speak for you. Call the name of your new home when this little conversation of ours ends, and you shall go there. Let me tell you this, however. It matters not which crest you carry and where you sleep. In the end, you will still have to face . . ."
The Sorting Hat's words were once again interrupted, though not by Kelven's own. The flames and dark robes from within Kelven had returned, and assailed the two within the confines of Kelven's own mind.
-------
The students in the Great Hall could not understand the battle raging inside Kelven. As the young wizard raised a hand and shouted two words to the sky, the students in the hall erupted in laughter at the strange sight.
-------
Spherus Targe!" he cried out, as a spherical barrier of blue light encased the wizard and the hat, slowing their enemy's advance.
"This is only temporary," Kelven told the Sorting Hat. "This light can only hold darkness out for so long. I can cast them out for a while with my banishing spell, but. . . I do not know if I have the strength for it."
"Try," was all the Hat could say.
-------
Argus Filch and Professors McGonagall and Snape tried to maintain order, none the wiser to Kelven's struggle for survival. Only Professor Dumbledore, whose face grew pale at the altogether alien incantation, had the faintest understanding of what was transpiring but could not do a thing to help.
And so the whole hall simply watched in silence, observing gestures never seen and hearing words never spoken.
That is, until they heard a single word reverberate through all of Hogwarts.
-------
"LIVE!"
The young mage barked out the word in desperation, trying to gather what strength he had for this single strike.
The incantation strengthened the glow, drowning the mage and the hat in azure light. Kelven's banishment spell tried to spread and grow by consuming the darkness. Instead, it was consumed by the darkness. The evil miasma encroached upon the shield, slowly tainting the waning blue light with black.
-------
The ghosts of Hogwarts began to convulse in midair as the word made its way past the halls, far beyond the Quiddtich field and the Forbidden Forest. They all grew paler and less clearly defined as the reverberating word slowly forced the shaking ghosts into the Great Hall, towards Kelven and the Sorting Hat. Swirling like a pale tornado, the ghosts began to shift and form and mold itself into a single entity in front of Kelven.
Professor McGonnagal sorted through the inventory of spells in her mind, looking for anything that could stop this madness from continuing. Professor Dumbledore only put a hand on her shoulder.
"We cannot fight this," said Dumbledore resignedly. "These are Kelven's demons, and only he knows the spells to fight them."
Turning to the teachers, the headmaster spoke with urgent authority. "Move the students outside for their protection. Close the doors of the Hall. I shall stay here to watch over Mr. Lentz."
Doing as they were told, knowing something was wrong yet not fully understanding the circumstances, the teachers ushered the gossiping students outside and Filch, being the last to leave, closed the doors of the Great Hall behind him.
Albus Dumbledore knew nothing could be done. Taking his goblet from the table, he took one last sip from it before putting readying himself for whatever evil would come his way. He did not know what would happen, but he understood one thing: should something beyond his imagining transpire, it could not be allowed to leave the Hall at any cost.
Chapter 2: A Sinister Sorting
Kelven Lentz walked up to Professor McGonagall calmly, trying to understand the magic that powered an object such as the Sorting Hat. He had heard of artifacts such as these existing all throughout the wizarding world, but had never seen one up close, and he was left puzzled by the stories people had told him of it.
"A sentient hat that tells people where to go?" thought the young wizard. He looked at the Sorting Hat at as it spoke to the congregation, calling forth the name of the house of Ravenclaw to the cheers and applause of the young girl it had just sat on and the people who would become her family. It was an odd thing for him, more for what drove the hat to live rather than its ability to reason and choose.
There was certainly no doubt as to its enchantment, but it perplexed him to have no inkling as to what gave the ragged old hat sentience. Yet there he was, sitting, waiting for the Professor McGonagall to place it on his head. The thought of having his entire life known by a ragged, old hat, however enchanted it may be, slowly unsettled him.
Dumbledore could see the young wizard's discomfort. "It cannot hurt you," Dumbledore reassured Kelven, "for it is only there to tell us which house is meant for you. Kelven nodded at the headmaster's reassuring words and closed his eyes.
The Sorting was about to begin.
-------
"Interesting . . . interesting indeed," said the Sorting Hat to Kelven. "You have many stories to tell, many interesting little things that make it very hard for me."
"I'm sorry . . . sir?" replied the mage, trying to determine whether a hat would have a gender. "I'm afraid this is rather unsettling for one such as myself, not to mention the fact that I cannot really understand what you mean. In what way have I made it very hard for you? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Humility too!" exclaimed the hat. "You have many interesting qualities that make it very difficult for me to choose a school for you. You must have been very strong to fight all of these . . ."
"I would rather that you not go there," was his curt interruption. "If you can truly read my mind and know all there is about me, then I shall accept it as fate that you now know. And now that you know all that I am, and where I have been, where shall you place me?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Well, there are many things. You are gifted, this is certain. Your heart, however, is torn. I remember one such as you who made it difficult for me to choose."
"Harry Potter, I would have to presume. I have heard many of the stories about your sortings, and his comes readily to mind."
"You are correct, though you are much, much more difficult. I can see that the both of you have your own special gifts, and your own will to persevere is stronger than most. He, however, knew where he wished to go, but you . . . you have come to learn all you can, only to leave and . . ."
"Yes," was all Kelven could say.
"Then I shall not speak for you. Call the name of your new home when this little conversation of ours ends, and you shall go there. Let me tell you this, however. It matters not which crest you carry and where you sleep. In the end, you will still have to face . . ."
The Sorting Hat's words were once again interrupted, though not by Kelven's own. The flames and dark robes from within Kelven had returned, and assailed the two within the confines of Kelven's own mind.
-------
The students in the Great Hall could not understand the battle raging inside Kelven. As the young wizard raised a hand and shouted two words to the sky, the students in the hall erupted in laughter at the strange sight.
-------
Spherus Targe!" he cried out, as a spherical barrier of blue light encased the wizard and the hat, slowing their enemy's advance.
"This is only temporary," Kelven told the Sorting Hat. "This light can only hold darkness out for so long. I can cast them out for a while with my banishing spell, but. . . I do not know if I have the strength for it."
"Try," was all the Hat could say.
-------
Argus Filch and Professors McGonagall and Snape tried to maintain order, none the wiser to Kelven's struggle for survival. Only Professor Dumbledore, whose face grew pale at the altogether alien incantation, had the faintest understanding of what was transpiring but could not do a thing to help.
And so the whole hall simply watched in silence, observing gestures never seen and hearing words never spoken.
That is, until they heard a single word reverberate through all of Hogwarts.
-------
"LIVE!"
The young mage barked out the word in desperation, trying to gather what strength he had for this single strike.
The incantation strengthened the glow, drowning the mage and the hat in azure light. Kelven's banishment spell tried to spread and grow by consuming the darkness. Instead, it was consumed by the darkness. The evil miasma encroached upon the shield, slowly tainting the waning blue light with black.
-------
The ghosts of Hogwarts began to convulse in midair as the word made its way past the halls, far beyond the Quiddtich field and the Forbidden Forest. They all grew paler and less clearly defined as the reverberating word slowly forced the shaking ghosts into the Great Hall, towards Kelven and the Sorting Hat. Swirling like a pale tornado, the ghosts began to shift and form and mold itself into a single entity in front of Kelven.
Professor McGonnagal sorted through the inventory of spells in her mind, looking for anything that could stop this madness from continuing. Professor Dumbledore only put a hand on her shoulder.
"We cannot fight this," said Dumbledore resignedly. "These are Kelven's demons, and only he knows the spells to fight them."
Turning to the teachers, the headmaster spoke with urgent authority. "Move the students outside for their protection. Close the doors of the Hall. I shall stay here to watch over Mr. Lentz."
Doing as they were told, knowing something was wrong yet not fully understanding the circumstances, the teachers ushered the gossiping students outside and Filch, being the last to leave, closed the doors of the Great Hall behind him.
Albus Dumbledore knew nothing could be done. Taking his goblet from the table, he took one last sip from it before putting readying himself for whatever evil would come his way. He did not know what would happen, but he understood one thing: should something beyond his imagining transpire, it could not be allowed to leave the Hall at any cost.