I do not claim ownership to any of J.K. Rowling's characters, and I am not making any sort of profit from this. It's simply for a larf. Please R&R. Thanx. ~ZiMsta
CONSULTING THE HAT
Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff at Saturdays rescheduled Quidditch match. Thankfully, there were no problems this time, and it had proven to be a fun game. Genevieve did notice, however, that Shelly and Gressa, the Gryffindor Beaters, had flown unusually close to her throughout the game. She assumed that were guarding her just in case anything happened. It was something Genevieve found comforting.
"Snape, Snape, he's a git. When he talks his mouth shoots spit. Snape, Snape, such a prat, think he may be a vampire bat." Everyone was sitting in the library on Sunday, working on their Truth potion essay for Snape, and Ron was singing happily about all of Snape's flaws. "Snape, Snape, crooked yellow teeth. The very same colour as his stinky feet." He continued. "Shut it, Ron." Genevieve piped up, thoroughly distracted by his noise (and somewhat irritated about Ron's excessive use of syllables in the last verse). "What? I only speak the truth." He said, sucking on the end of his sugar quill. Genevieve just shook her head.
"Do you think Snape has ever boinked a woman?" Seamus Finnigan asked, flipping through a large book. "Na. Not only is he one ugly, repulsive, disgusting excuse for a human being, but my guess is he's not properly equipped, if you know what I mean." Ron answered, rolling up his parchment and looking through it like a telescope. "He'll probably die a virgin." Ron finished. Genevieve clenched her teeth.
"Would you lot SHUT UP ALREADY!?" She barked, giving them a vicious look. Ron pulled the parchment away from his face, looking dumbfounded. "Since when are you defending Snape? You got a little thing for him or something?" he asked. "NO!" Genevieve said a little too quickly. "I just need to concentrate." She tried to cover it up, but it didn't work. Ron's mouth formed a huge grin. "You do! You fancy Snape!" He laughed. Genevieve felt the blood rush to her face, not only in anger, but in embarrassment as well. "Shut UP, Ron! Maybe you should ask Snape how to make a maturity potion." She growled. Ron laughed. "Oh, I bet he's shown you a thing or two." Everyone started laughing, but the group of giggles came to a halt as Snape emerged from behind a bookshelf. His eyes were like daggers as he looked at Ron.
"Weasley. Now." He snarled in his low, threatening tone. Ron stood up from his chair, knowing that he was pretty much doomed. "Finnigan. Now." Seamus stood up, just as Ron had. Snape finally looked at Genevieve. The daggers had disappeared, but he was still very much perturbed. "Miss Hemlockfive points from Gryffindor for your voice level." He said. He turned away, leading Ron and Seamus out of the library, to what they probably thought would be their death sentence.
"God, Snape is such and ass." Zina Perkon, a 6th year Gryffindor said. "Maybe if Ron and Seamus weren't acting like a bunch of twits, they wouldn't have gotten into trouble." Genevieve was sorry she had said anything. "Oh, be quiet Genevieve. Quit trying to defend your lover." Zina spat. Genevieve was completely shocked. "Where did you get that from? What is wrong with you people!?" Genevieve grabbed her books and started to get up.
"Why are you being so defensive then?" Gressa asked. Genevieve looked at her. "You don't honestly believeGressa, I thought you were my friend!" Genevieve was really beginning to get irritated. "Were no friend of aa Slytherin!" Angela shouted. Genevieve was seriously considering pinching herself. Was she living in some parallel universe? "I cannot believe you people!" She screamed. "Maybe you should be resorted, Slytherin!" Zina taunted, causing all the other girls to nod. "Yeah, you're even friends with Snape's assistant. Do you guys have threesomes in the dungeons?" Gressa shot at her.
Genevieve couldn't take it anymore. "Bugger Off!" She yelled, nearly running out of the library as they taunted her. She was in tears by the time she made it to the hall, her head lowered as she charged forward. She was knocked off of her feet all of the sudden, landing roughly on the floor. "Do watch where you'reMiss Hemlock? Are you quite alright?" Snape asked, offering to help her up. Genevieve denied him. "Please, Sir. Just leave me alone, please." She begged, getting up on her own as quickly as possible. "I beg your pardon?" Snape asked, furrowing his brow at her. Genevieve didn't answer. She just turned and hurried away.
She spent the rest of the evening in her room, first crying with anger and confusion, then trying to relax by playing her father's guitar. She was missing him now more that ever. He would know what to say in a situation like this. Genevieve wasn't even sure what the situation was. People who she thought were her friends had suddenly become her enemies. Her fellow Gryffindor's. Her boyfriend. Her mother, not that they were ever really friends. And in contrast, her enemy, Snape, had shown concern for the first time since she had known him. This had to be a parallel universe.
*****
She was running down a long hall, Olivia flying in front of her. She was leading her somewhere. She didn't know where, but she knew that she had to follow her. Farther and farther down the long corridor. Her body aching, her heart pounding. She had to follow Olivia. She had never been down these halls before, but she knew where she was going. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she knew she had to find it. Olivia flew into an open set of heavy oak doors, and she saw it. She saw what she was looking for
"Genevieve! Wake up, you're late for class!" Hermoine shook Genevieve, shouting at her. Genevieve sat up bolt right. Hermoine was probably the only friend in Gryffindor house that Genevieve had left. And she was looking frantic. "We have to get to class! Hurry! Get dressed!" Hermoine insisted, pulling on Genevieve's arm. Genevieve was still slightly out of it from her dream. She hadn't gotten to see what was in the room, due to her rude awakening. She quickly forgot about it, slid out of bed and began dressing rather clumsily.
She and Hermoine were making their way to Transfiguration, but were stopped in the hallway by Headmaster Dumbledore. "Ah! Just the person I was looking for. Join me for a stroll, Miss Hemlock." He asked, holding out his arm to her. She took it, and could see Hermoine shifting from foot to foot, begging to protest. "Miss Granger, would you kindly do me a favour and let Professor McGonagall know that I am borrowing Miss Hemlock for the duration of the period?" Dumbledore asked. This seemed to make Hermoine happy as she nodded and hurried off to class. Genevieve and Dumbledore progressed at a slower pace.
"So, Miss Hemlock. I have noticed that you have not quite been yourself lately." He stated, keeping his eyes forward as they walked. "Is it that obvious, Sir?" Genevieve asked him. Dumbledore tilted his head to the side. "Thought I personally have noticed that you were a bit off, I was actually asked for a favour," Genevieve grew curious. " I was asked by Severus to speak with you. He felt that you would be more comfortable speaking to me." Dumbledore said, looking down at her.
"Professor Snape, Sir?" She asked. The idea seemed highly unlikely. "Yes. Severus told me that you had spoken with him, and more recently had a confrontation with your fellow students. He seems to think that you are not sure who to talk to about it. I want you to know that you can always come to me with your problems, Genevieve. I want you to consider me, not only as the Headmaster, but also as a friend." Dumbledore said with a smile. "I do, Sir." Genevieve said. She had always considered him a friend.
"Actually, I was surprised to hear that you and Severus held such a conversation. I don't expect students are accustom to speaking with him on such matters. Aside from his house members, of course. But even that seems improbable." Dumbledore confessed, smiling gently. "Well, Sir, there has been something bothering me. I haven't been getting along with my fellow house members lately. I don't know if it is I with the problem, or them. I even thought"Genevieve stumbled a little, but Dumbledore knew exactly where she was going. "You thought you needed to be resorted?" He asked. Genevieve simply nodded.
"Well, that is entirely up to you. Why don't we go to my office and consult the Sorting Hat." Dumbledore suggested. He then redirected their path towards his office. They stopped in front of the gargoyle statue, which jumped aside only when Dumbledore said Cotton Candy'. They stood on the escalating spiral stairs until they reached the huge, grand doors to Dumbledore's office. Fawkes the Phoenix greeted them with a melodic whistle as they entered. Genevieve stood in the middle of the circular room as Dumbledore retrieved the Sorting Hat from a tall shelf. He walked over to Genevieve, placing it lightly on her very nervous head.
"Genevieve Hemlock,
Her final year,
Wonders what House,
She does hold dear.
I tell thee now,
The House to be in,
Genevieve Hemlock
IS A SLYTHERIN!"
Genevieve ripped the hat off of her head, dropping it on the ground. "NO!" her mouth shouted. Dumbledore picked the hat carefully from the floor, walking it back to its shelf. "Well. It seems you have acquired a new student, Severus." Genevieve spun around, finding Snape standing at the door. Genevieve tried to swallow down the lump that lay threatening in her throat.
"Indeed. Welcome to Slytherin, Miss Hemlock." Snape said, his voice sounding about as shaken as Genevieve felt. "Why? What happened? Why have I changed?' She demanded, turning from Snape to Dumbledore, and back again. Dumbledore walked back towards her, folding his hands behind him. "It is hard to say, Miss Hemlock. But the Sorting Hat is never wrong." He said calmly. "Well it was obviously wrong the first time!" Genevieve said, her tone a little angrier than she had intended.
"Not necessarily. It simply changed its mind. That does not mean that it was wrong." He explained. Genevieve couldn't understand. How could she be a Slytherin? This was certainly going to cause a few problems. What would the other Gryffindor's think? Now they would be able to prove their accusations about her being a Slytherin. And the Quidditch team. They had now lost a Chaser. She didn't even know any Slytherins, besides Ezzie. She could only imagine how they would react to this. She sank into a nearby chair, resting her forehead in her hand, shaking her head in disbelief.
"This can't be happening to me." She muttered. She felt Dumbledore's reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I believe you have some packing to do."
