I'd like to personally thank my very first reviewer for this story. I've been sort of desperate for reviews, so I was really happy when I received that "FanFiction Review Alert" in my Inbox. Special thanks to Darknesswithinonesheart, and thank you very much for your compliments. We'll get into the crossover stuff soon, so don't fret. Things will get much more interesting for here on out! ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Don't rub salt on the wound! (Though I am working on a novel, with which I hope to be very popular. Hope! It's a dream!)

Quote of the Chapter:  "I'll eat myself if you can find a smarter hat than me!" –The Sorting Hat, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Jaded Angels and Silken Blossoms

Chapter 5: The Sorting

***

            An aging woman, Professor McGonagall, who wore her hair in a tight bun, greeted us. She explained the Houses to us and led us into the Great Hall. Whatever anybody ever says, the book never explained the Great Hall to its full glory and splendor. The floating candles, the ceiling's night sky, perfectly viewing the stars above, and the four long, long tables. Don't forget the High Table, either, where all the other teachers were seated. I spotted the new Asian teacher immediately. The one I would be going to Japan with.

            "The Sorting will begin now," Professor McGonagall. The Hat sang a song. It was tattered and extremely old. It sat on a three-legged stool and stared at all the first years, even though it didn't seem to have any eyes at all.

            "Abbot, Hannah!" And on down the list.

            "Granger, Hermione!" Hermione made her way up to the stool and sat down, looking like she was going to faint.

            "GRIFFINDOR!"

            "Indigo, Angel!"

            Uh oh. I'm in trouble. Slowly, my legs crept up to the three-legged stool and very suddenly, the Hat was over my eyes and I was seated in the chair.

            "Hmm…intelligent, brave…oh…you're a special one, aren't you?" said the Hat. "Very good, very good, solid precognitive dreams…Oh, my. What a fantastic background, unheard of! Where to put you? Hmm…I wouldn't want you fighting with your cousin, now do I? I get the rap for anything that goes crazy out there. Hmm…GRIFFINDOR!"

            Very suddenly, cheers unknown to me greeted me. I made my way to the Griffindor table, decorated in red with a golden lion.

            "Congratulations, Angel!" Fred and George shouted. "Welcome to Griffindor."

            "Thanks, guys."

            I watched the rest of the Sorting finish up. Ron, Harry, and that chubby boy were also placed in Griffindor. Draco and his goons were all three placed in Slytherin. What a surprise.   

            Then Dumbledore stood up.

            My heart pounded in my ears and my throat went dry. I wished the goblet in front of me would magically be filled with ice water. Was it now? Was he really going to say what I thought he was going to?

            "Welcome!" he shouted, and the whole room cheered. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Before we being our banquet, I'd like to say a few words."

            Oh, no…

            "And here the are! Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" And he sat down.

            I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. He was going to let us eat first. Was he going to keep doing that?

            "What's wrong?" asked several of the other kids.

            "Yeah, the worst part's over," said the chubby boy.

            "Nah, it's just the beginning for me," I said. "It's only the beginning."

            "Well, you might as well greet it head on, Ang," George said. "You're a Griffindor!"

            "That's right, Angel," Fred grinned. "Not like us. Eat something, food always makes the butterflies feel better."   

            In my absence of mind, the food platters before us had been filled. All of them were exotic foods that I was amazed to see them at all. Molly hadn't been very good at introducing me to some of the foods that Hogwarts traditionally serves. The only thing I recognized were the sausages and the platters of beef stew. I went for that first.

            "You'd think she hadn't eaten in years," Fred said.

            "Well, if you looked at her from since we knew her, you would," George added. "How'd you do it, Angel? I mean, it's hard for us to stay lean, too, around Mum's cooking."

            "Well…" I said. I couldn't tell them I was being trained to fight by a boy in my dreams, who lives halfway around the world! "I have a really high metabolism rate. Back home, I didn't exercise almost at all. I guess the Quidditch matches with you guys helped me along. Plus, I didn't have access to soda, chips, and other fattening foods. Your mum fed me fruits and veggies with everything, and gave me the energy I needed."
            "Wicked awesome, I say," said the chubby boy. "I'm Neville. I have a really slow metabolism rate, so I can't really lose mine as easily."

            "Sure you can," I said. "You just need to eat better and exercise a little more. Like right now. What do you think you're doing wrong already?"

            He glanced down at his food platter. It was filled to the breaking point with all sorts of red meats, and he hadn't any vegetables or fruits to start with.   

            "Too much red meat can kill the remainder of your appetite," I said. "That's why most high-class restaurants start you out with a salad, then move to the main course. That way, you get your veggies in first."

            "She's smart," Fred said.

            "Smarter than us, anyway," George added.

            "Really?" Hermione asked. "Well, there was one thing you left out. What about fruits?"

            "Yeah, I know," I said. "I was getting to that. Fruits are the best snack, cause they taste great and give you a bunch of energy that was locked in the carbohydrates in your diet. Plus, don't forget your milk and dairy and the meats. I didn't say to completely forget meat, but do try to tone it down a bit."

            "Wow, thanks," Neville said. "I'll try it. Nothing to lose but pounds."

            "Yup, yup!" I winked and giggled.

            When everyone had eaten their fill of the feast, the table became a paradise of treats and sweets.

            "Sugar always helps calm me down," I said and grabbed a tiny half-serving of each dessert within my reach. It covered half my dessert plate, which was quite enough for me. "A little of everything and I get to decide which one I like best."

            "Hey, I'm trying what she is," said Fred.

            "Me, too."

            Suddenly, the whole half end of the table had taken a little of everything, leaving very little on the serving plates. Each dish was absolutely amazing, but the one I liked best was the sakura mochi. Yes, they had it, and I was quite sure that it had been made especially for the new professor.

            Talk turned to families.

            "Me dad's a Muggle and me mum's a witch," said Seamus Finnigan. "Mum didn't tell him she was a witch until after they married. Bit of a nasty shock when he found out." We all laughed.

            "What about you, Neville?" Ron asked. Which was a mistake.

            "Well, me gram brought me up and she's witch," Neville said. "But the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle—" and on he went.

            I didn't pay much attention after that point, I was getting more worried about what was going to happen when Dumbledore stood again.

            "Hey, Angel, what about you?" asked Seamus. "You must be from an all-wizard family, right?"

            "Actually," I said, blushing. "I'm kind of Muggle and kind of not."

            "What do you mean, 'kind of'?" Hermione asked. "I'm all Muggle, I'm fairly sure it's impossible to be 'kind of' Muggle."

            "Well…yes and no," I said. "Okay, here it is. My mom's all Muggle, which I'm sure of. But my dad is a Squib. I think he kind of denounced his maiden name, though."

            "That's fairly odd, for a guy to denounce his own last name. Who's brother is he?" asked Seamus.

            "You guys'll freak," I said, shaking my head. "You really will."

            "Oh, come on and tell them, Angel," Fred said.

            "Yeah, it's not that bad."

            "Never judge a girl by who she's related to and all."

            "Yeah, Angel, it doesn't really matter to us," Seamus said.

            "Okay, okay," I rolled my eyes and muttered. "Lucius Malfoy."

            "Who?"

            "Lucius Malfoy."

            About half the table fell off their benches, laughing their heads off. No one screamed "your Uncle is Lucius Malfoy!" and I'm glad they didn't. McGonagall came down and helped a few back up into the seats and stared at me for a moment. I don't know if she knew it was me or not that caused the whole commotion.

            "Ouch!" Harry suddenly grabbed his head, staring up at the High Table.

            "What's wrong, Harry?" I asked.

            "Nothing. It's nothing," he said.

            I knew it was something, but if he didn't want to tell me, so be it. He'd tell Ron sooner or later. Those two were the best of friends already. I think Hermione was trying to be my rival, though.     

            Finally, the desserts disappeared, but the goblets of water remained, thank goodness. I don't think I could stand having my throat dry when I walked up to go to bed.

            "Ahem," said Professor Dumbledore. He was standing. The room fell silent. "I just have a few start-of-term notices now that we are all fed and watered. Afterwards, I will make two very special introductions."

            His eyes twinkled straight into mine.

            "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden. A few of our older students would do well the recall that as well."

            He looked at Fred, George, and their friend, Lee Jordan.

            "I have been asked to remind you, by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, that no magic should be used in the corridors between class times.

            "Quidditch trials will be held two weeks into term. Those interested in playing on their House teams should contact Madam Hooch as soon as possible.

            "And finally I must tell you that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is strictly forbidden. It is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to have a painful death."

            He stared around the room, including at the teachers.

            "He's not serious?" Harry muttered.

            "Must be. Funny, though, he usually gives an explanation for things. The forest is full of deadly monsters, everyone knows that," said Percy. "I would think he'd tell us prefects, anyhow."

***FLASH***               

            "It's always best to give a reason for things. Otherwise curiosity fuels the cat. Of course, wouldn't that set the cat on fire? Hmm…I never did understand that analogy. Then again, curiosity killed the cat, so maybe it was the fire that killed the cat…"

***FLASH***

            That's weird. Was he trying to tell me something?

            "And now, I'd like to make my introductions," said Professor Dumbledore. "As you all probably know by now due to your wonderful attempt at secrecy, we have the very first foreign exchange student here tonight. Angel, please stand up."

            My stomach in knots, I smiled and stood. The entire room was watching me, and I felt like the butterflies in my stomach we eating away.

            "This is Angel Indigo, from Wichita, Kansas, United States of America. She will be staying with us all seven years, but I've asked her to do something quite special for me. She, along with our new professor, will be going to Japan in search of another foreign exchange student.

            "You may be seated, Angel." I sat down. "The older students probably saw him right away. This is our newest teacher, Professor Hiiragizawa. He has taken on a new class for third year students to take, Eastern Magic. I have especially chosen several first years to take the course as well, in its primary stages. This way, we get the feel for when it is best for students to begin this course.
            "And now, it is time for bed. Off with you. Prefects, lead the way."

            "All Griffindor first years, follow me," said Percy. "Quickly, now."

            There were only four girls in Griffindor: Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Hermione Granger, and Angel Indigo. Parvati and Lavender were instant friends, but Hermione and I didn't seem to really hit it off with anyone. Well, I did, but only in the boy's tower.

            In the boy's tower were Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas (who I hadn't really gotten to know all that well), Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley. Our rooms were the same size, but I was glad that we didn't have a fifth four-poster bed in our room. We each had a huge quadrant of the room, which had a small fireplace and four wardrobes. There was also a bathroom with a nice shower inside it. It was fairly good-sized, too.

            I fell asleep, thinking how wonderful it was going to be to tell Syaoran all about it. The streets of Tomoeda appeared, as did Syaoran. We escaped the street for a blank white void, which promptly became the Griffindor First Year Girl's Tower.

            "What do you think?" I asked. "Awesome, huh?"

            "It's very nice," Syaoran nodded.

            "I made it into Griffindor. Dumbledore didn't make that big of a deal about me, not as much as I was worried about," I smiled. "It was cool."

            "So, did you get the chance to meet the teacher you'll be coming with?"

            "Well, no. But I saw him. He's pretty cool looking. He's going to be teaching a new course at school," I smiled. "Eastern magic. Cool, huh? I might be in the class. I think I will be, but I can't be sure until I get my class schedule tomorrow. So…what's been going on in Tomoeda?"

            "Nothing, which worries me worse than something," Syaoran said. "School started back up again. I'm worried about Eriol. I can't say anything about it to Sakura or him, because it wouldn't happen, then."

            "Don't worry about it. I'm sure things will be fine. At least now you know that the entire thing won't be totally life-threatening," I said. "Things will go smoothly. I'm sure of it."

            "Haven't people been asking about your weight?" Syaoran asked suddenly.

            "Well, yeah," I said. "I mean, how often does a girl lose that much weight in two months time?"

            "Exactly."

            "I just told them that I started eating and exercising better," I shrugged. "What was I going to tell them?"

            "Exactly."

            "Stop saying that," I said.

            "Okay," he shrugged.

            "Come on, let's go for a swim," I said. The dormitory disappeared and was replaced by a long stretch of water. My robes were replaced with a blue swimsuit and I was off. "Race you!"

***

            "I got it!" I shouted the next morning. I had woken up, after a refreshing swim with Syaoran, at six o'clock and was dressed in a matter of minutes. I climbed out of the curtained bed to find my class schedule. On it was the Eastern magic course.

            "Good, now go back to bed," moaned Lavender.

            "'S too early," Parvati added.

            Paying them no heed, I pored over the classes for the day. Herbology was first, at nine o'clock, followed by History of Magic, and then lunch. Charms was last at one o'clock. Three classes, total. I think that they let you have it easy the first year, and then started hammering you as you grow in knowledge.

            Since I was going to have an hour lunchtime, I left my Charms book (The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1) in my room. A History of Magic and One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi went into my pack, along with several sheets of parchment, two inkwells, a few quills, and my wand.

            Six o'clock, and already there were several people in the Griffindor Common Room. I doubted it would be that way for long, but I smiled at everyone. There was plenty of time to dawdle, but I'm not one to, so I climbed out of the circular portrait hole.

            "Good morning!" I chirped the Fat Lady, who's name I found to be Juniper. She was talking to another friend of hers, named Violet. (AN-If anyone knows the Fat Lady's real name, please tell me. I think I messed up somewhere.)

            "Good morning, early bird," said Juniper. "How are things?"
            "Well, thank you," I bowed. "I must be off. Plenty to learn, and never enough time!"

            "Too true," Violet smiled.

            "--The sun is warm, the grass is green, the flowers are singing, and I'm sixteen--," I sang. I loved poetry, and I loved to sing. "—My Aunt Sally showed up last night with a bowl of pudding and a night bright light--She showed me how to play the fiddle and I showed her a diddle—

            "How do you do, Uncle Sue, Can you show me how to blow the horn? And I played till the dock of morn. Well, I gave myself a little tiny job, and I'll do it till the flowers don't bob—

            "—Hey, Aunt Kitty, can't you show me a pity, I wanna play till I cannot say the time of day—And she gave me a bongo and made me a tune and I'll play this song-oh till the bright of noon—"

            "What are you singing all about?" asked a voice. I turned around and saw Mr. Filch, the caretaker. "You can't be that happy."

            "Anyone can be happy, sir," I smiled. "I'm just glad to be here." He blinked, but said nothing more. "I'm going to go eat some breakfast. Have you had some yet?" He nodded slowly. "All right, then. See you later, sir. Bye!"

            I continued on my way, unaware that I had just befuddled and surprised one of the most notorious men for grumpiness in the castle. All with a simple sunny disposition.

My brother, David (yes, he's my real brother, and yes, he's just as sweet), made up this song for his music class while watching the Sorcerer's Stone. He said that his inspiration was Filch, because the man never seemed to cheer up. So I used it, in hopes of making Filch seem baffled. Did it work? ^_^; Prolly not. Thanks for reading! Please review! I luv reviews! Thanks again to Darknesswithinonesheart!