Willow watched from the table as Minerva McGonagall led the first-years in for the sorting ceremony. McGonagall had explained the ceremony and the house system to her two days before. Though eager to see the ceremony itself, she found herself distracted and glancing around. The dining hall amazed her anew at every meal, even after three weeks. The sky-ceiling glowed a deep, rich indigo that night, speckled with stars. Candles hovered just out of reach above the tables. The older students had already marched in; glancing about, Willow could not find anyone resembling the pictures of Harry Potter at the Gryffindor table. Their seemed to be an unusual amount of commotion there, indicating to Willow that something was amiss, probably Harry's absence. She snuck a look at Grey, situated several seats down, and noticed the concerned look on his normally-neutral face. Something was clearly rotten in Denmark.
She was starting to like the very odd man. For one thing, he was her age, a seriously rare commodity for someone older than the students and younger than the teachers. He surprised her the day before by accepting her invitation to dinner. Though he hardly could be called talkative, he at least had been pleasant and companionable about his silence. She had thought about it before bed and realized that he very much wanted to say more, to be more friendly. Something held him back, though; Willow figured it had to be something large and scary. He didn't seem like the type to be cowed. Plenty of time to decipher that mystery later, she thought as the ceremony commenced.
The trepidation on the faces of the first-years was almost cute, vanishing instantly when they were shuffled off to one of the four houses. Most of the unpleasant and haugty visages went to the Slytherin table, she noted. Fortunately, she had avoided Snape for three solid weeks, and intended to do so for as long as possible.
Though it must have seemed interminable to the participants, the sorting ceremony actually went quite quickly. Professor McGonagall returned to her seat with a smile and nod to Dumbledore, who rose regally and brought swift silence with a raised his hand.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I bid you welcome once again for a new Hogwarts year. For those of you joining us for the first time, I bid you your first welcome. Before we begin our meal, you older students will be surprised to know that I have several announcements." A small chuckle vibrated through the crowd. "As always, no one is to enter the Dark Forest at anytime. It is a thoroughly unpleasant place, and as such is quite off limits." He paused, and gestured to the faculty.
"This year, as we often do, we have several new professors at Hogwarts. First, allow me to introduce Professor Rupert Giles, who will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Giles is a former Watcher, the definition of which some of you older students may recall from your Magical Creatures classes." Giles stood, earning a small smattering of applause. "He will be assisted by Miss Willow Rosenberg, who will also carry the title of Professor. Miss Rosenberg has worked with Mr. Giles and his student for a number of years." Willow stood as well, to even greater applause, especially among the older students. "Though she is the youngest member of the staff, I assure you Miss Rosenberg is quite capable. Thank you both for coming." He looked at Spike, who stood as well. "Also joining us this year as an assistant to our own keeper of the keys, Rubeus Hagrid, will be William T. Blood. He prefers the moniker, however, of Spike. Should you require assistance from Hagrid during the evenings, we ask that you direct your queries to Mr. Blood." Spike received no applause, only frightened silence, and sat back down with a smirk. Taking his scare thrills where he can, Willow figured.
"Last, but certainly not least, is Mr. David Grey. Grey will serve this year as Deputy Head of Gryffindor house, and as a guest lecturer in Defense against the Dark Arts. He will also oversee certain aspects of Hogwarts security, and I would ask that you discuss with him anything that seems amiss on the Hogwarts campus." The last sentence was clearly directed at the Gryffindor table, though Willow could not see the specific target. "Now, for my final words…" Dumbledore paused in thought. "Hephalump, cantankerous, Xanth, utz. Thank you." He sat down amidst more raucous applause.
As always at Hogwarts, the excellent food appeared on the plates in vast helpings. Willow watched the Gryffindor table intently; very little of the food reached any students' mouths. The Gryffindors were clearly distracted, while the others houses went about the business of eating and welcoming with great fervor. Looking at the headmaster, she saw the old wizard deep in conversation with a … little green man. Huh? The little green man had enormous eyes and a huge head; he wore a sweater far too large for him, allowing it to hang to his ankles, and a pair of mismatched socks in orange and fuschia. He was alternating between gesturing wildly and bowing his head in submission. Dumbledore seemed concerned. So engrossed in the display was Willow that she failed to notice Grey sneak up behind her and tap her on the shoulder. She turned with a startled 'eep' that made McGonagall and Giles smile.
"His name is Dobby. House-elf. Works for Albus," Grey said tersely.
"What is that on his head, a tea cozy?"
"Yeah. Clothes are a big deal to house-elves." She looked to see if he was being sarcastic, but it didn't seem that way. "Harry's not here."
"I sort of got that part. You're worried." He shrugged.
"Dumbledore isn't. But Dobby is. He and Harry have been … allies in the past. I think the elf is going to go look for him. House-elves stomping around muggle territory is a bad thing," he concluded. "Dumbledore will send me with him. You in?"
"Field trip?" she asked, hoping to hide her nervousness. Without magic, she wouldn't be very helpful. And for the time being she had promised herself to be strictly spell-free. She said as much to Grey.
"No magic, Willow. I just … could use some company." She saw how much it pained him to say that. He covered it quickly. "Besides, you fought with the Slayer. You know non-magic fighting and how to sneak around."
"A little bit," she admitted. "What the heck. Sign me up."
"We need to make a stop first. Meet me after dinner at the Gryffindor common room." He walked over to tell Dumbledore and Dobby about his plans.