"May I have your attention, please?"
The Great Hall quickly grew silent. A tall, thin bearded man dressed in fushia robes looked down on the many students who had, a moment ago, been talking happily. His crescent-shaped glasses reflected the light of the moon – the ceiling, which must've been at least twenty times his height, had been enchanted to represent the sky outside. When he was sure that all eyes were on him, Albus Dumbledore continued.
"I would like to start by welcoming you all back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I hope you enjoyed yourselves during your summer break."
Dumbledore paused as students wispered excitedly. Harry Potter, back slouched and head in hands, did not contribute to this quiet school discussion.
"Excellent," the headmaster smiled, once everyone had settled back down. "We are all very pleased to welcome to our fine school a new group of students. Professor McGonagall, would you please lead the first years to the front of the Hall?"
Minerva McGonagall did as she was told. Harry saw the top of her emerald green witch's hat through a crowd of anxious first year students. They quickly formed a single file and followed Professor McGonagall, who lead them to stand facing Dumbledore.
"Hey," Harry heard his best friend, Ron Weasley, whisper. "Look at that boy, over there! He looks about ready to throw up!"
Ron laughed at his own comment, and Harry saw him continue to scan the crowd of students. He rolled his eyes and turned his head towards Dumbledore. The wizard had placed the Sorting Hat on a wooden stool in front of the first years. Harry could see that all eyes were now on it.
"Ah, here comes my favourite part," Dumbledore laughed.
The Sorting Hat broke into his song, describing all four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. When it had finished, the entire Hall roared with applause. Hermione Granger, Harry's other best friend, turned to face him.
"I'm glad the Hat's gone back to its cheerful tune. Remember last year?"
Harry nodded. At the beginning of his fifth year, the Sorting Hat had warned them to stay close and to steer clear from trouble. Hardly what anyone had expected.
The Sorting Hat proceeded to sort each of the first years into their houses. Harry watched the first few students place the hat onto their heads, but quickly found the floor more interesting. During previous ceremonies, he would have been welcoming everyone and cheering loudly, but today, he would rather have been anywhere else.
"Anna! Anna, look! It's Harry Potter!" one girl exclaimed as she took a seat next to her friend. Harry looked up for a brief moment, gave them both a falsely cheerful grin, then glanced at Ron. He had his eyes glued on what seemed to be the last first year to be sorted. Harry sighed, and turned his attention back to the front of the Hall. To his surprise, the last student did not take a seat on the stool. Instead, Dumbledore spoke.
"Now that we all are seated, I have an important announcement to make," he said. He waved his forearm before him in a very majestic manner. "We at Hogwarts are pleased to welcome a new student. Sara, would you please sit on the stool?"
The girl walked gracefully to the stool and sat down. She had blonde hair that flowed down to half of her back. She looked terribly pale and fragile, as if she were about to break into pieces.
"She looks like Malfoy," Ron said.
He was right. She screamed Malfoy.
"Ten Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans says she gets sorted into Slytherin," Ron grinned. Harry laughed quietly. He wondered why Dumbledore was taking the time to introduce this girl. She looked like any other first year.
"Place the Hat on your head, Sara," Dumbledore said in a low voice. The girl did as she was told. She didn't look nervous in the least.
The Great Hall had never been so silent. Everyone watched as Sara, as that was what Dumbledore had called her, sat still. The Sorting Hat was perfectly still. The scene was frozen. Nobody moved for well over five minutes. Finally, the Hat exclaimed Sara's sorting.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged sideways glances. Sara stood up and faced the crowd of students.
"Sara, would you like to tell us about yourself?" Dumbledore asked.
More confused expressions. Why was Albus Dumbledore, possibly the most powerful wizard in the world, paying so much attention to this one girl?
Sara looked around, with still no hint of insecurity or nerve. Dumbledore gave her a nod of his head, as if to let her know that she could start speaking.
"I'm… Well, er… Yes. My name is Sara, and I will be sixteen years old in December," she started. Harry noticed a foreign accent in her speech. She would roll her r's, or simply omitt them. She seemed to have trouble pronouncing the six in sixteen. Her voice had a certain melody to it, which surprised both Harry and Ron: they had imagined her to speak in the same menacing tone that Malfoy used with such expertise. "I transferred here from Se Rose Magiskskola, the wizarding academy in Sweden."
Sara stopped talking and looked down at her shoes, which looked old, ripped, and dirty. Harry realized that she must have learned English as a second language.
"Harry!" Hermione whispered.
Harry turned around to look at his friend.
"Yes?"
"Harry, no student has ever transferred here before," she said urgently.
Rediscovering his dark mood, Harry gave Hermione an annoyed look. He hated the way she always assumed that he knew what she was talking about.
"Hermione, that doesn't tell me anything."
Hermione raised her eyes to the ceiling, as if any old idiot should have known what she was talking.
"It's against the school rules to transfer schools in the wizarding world, Harry!" she hissed.
Ron, who had just tuned in, looked directly at Hermione and raised his eyebrows.
"Hermione, if you want Harry and I to understand what you're talking about, you're going to have to stop talking in code."
Harry nodded. Hermione gave Ron a cold look.
"There's something different about this Sara," she said.
Ron and Harry exchanged glances.
"Why is it that Dumbledore is paying her so much attention? Why is he introducing her to the whole school? Why is the school suddenly bending the rules to let this random girl transfer? Look at her! It's so obvious that something's going on that we don't know about!"
Harry looked straight into Hermione's eyes. Must there always be something going on?
"You know, right now, I'd rather not find out. All summer, I've been asked to keep secrets, to explore, to hide. You don't know what it's like, living at the Dursleys', yet being so connected to the Wizarding world. Knowing that, at any moment, Lord Voldemort might decide to Apparate in my room and kill me – or worse, one of you two," he exploded.
Hermione looked down. Ron searched the Great Hall for signs that anyone had heard his friend's sudden outburst. No one had. They were all watching Sara take her seat at the Gryffindor table.
"Harry, I'm sorry… I know it must be hard."
"Oh, no. It's just dandy," Harry retorted.
As the food appeared on the long, wooden table, Harry got up and stormed out of the Great Hall, leaving his two best friends and a whole crowd of people who he once might have given a second thought about.
The Great Hall quickly grew silent. A tall, thin bearded man dressed in fushia robes looked down on the many students who had, a moment ago, been talking happily. His crescent-shaped glasses reflected the light of the moon – the ceiling, which must've been at least twenty times his height, had been enchanted to represent the sky outside. When he was sure that all eyes were on him, Albus Dumbledore continued.
"I would like to start by welcoming you all back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I hope you enjoyed yourselves during your summer break."
Dumbledore paused as students wispered excitedly. Harry Potter, back slouched and head in hands, did not contribute to this quiet school discussion.
"Excellent," the headmaster smiled, once everyone had settled back down. "We are all very pleased to welcome to our fine school a new group of students. Professor McGonagall, would you please lead the first years to the front of the Hall?"
Minerva McGonagall did as she was told. Harry saw the top of her emerald green witch's hat through a crowd of anxious first year students. They quickly formed a single file and followed Professor McGonagall, who lead them to stand facing Dumbledore.
"Hey," Harry heard his best friend, Ron Weasley, whisper. "Look at that boy, over there! He looks about ready to throw up!"
Ron laughed at his own comment, and Harry saw him continue to scan the crowd of students. He rolled his eyes and turned his head towards Dumbledore. The wizard had placed the Sorting Hat on a wooden stool in front of the first years. Harry could see that all eyes were now on it.
"Ah, here comes my favourite part," Dumbledore laughed.
The Sorting Hat broke into his song, describing all four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. When it had finished, the entire Hall roared with applause. Hermione Granger, Harry's other best friend, turned to face him.
"I'm glad the Hat's gone back to its cheerful tune. Remember last year?"
Harry nodded. At the beginning of his fifth year, the Sorting Hat had warned them to stay close and to steer clear from trouble. Hardly what anyone had expected.
The Sorting Hat proceeded to sort each of the first years into their houses. Harry watched the first few students place the hat onto their heads, but quickly found the floor more interesting. During previous ceremonies, he would have been welcoming everyone and cheering loudly, but today, he would rather have been anywhere else.
"Anna! Anna, look! It's Harry Potter!" one girl exclaimed as she took a seat next to her friend. Harry looked up for a brief moment, gave them both a falsely cheerful grin, then glanced at Ron. He had his eyes glued on what seemed to be the last first year to be sorted. Harry sighed, and turned his attention back to the front of the Hall. To his surprise, the last student did not take a seat on the stool. Instead, Dumbledore spoke.
"Now that we all are seated, I have an important announcement to make," he said. He waved his forearm before him in a very majestic manner. "We at Hogwarts are pleased to welcome a new student. Sara, would you please sit on the stool?"
The girl walked gracefully to the stool and sat down. She had blonde hair that flowed down to half of her back. She looked terribly pale and fragile, as if she were about to break into pieces.
"She looks like Malfoy," Ron said.
He was right. She screamed Malfoy.
"Ten Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans says she gets sorted into Slytherin," Ron grinned. Harry laughed quietly. He wondered why Dumbledore was taking the time to introduce this girl. She looked like any other first year.
"Place the Hat on your head, Sara," Dumbledore said in a low voice. The girl did as she was told. She didn't look nervous in the least.
The Great Hall had never been so silent. Everyone watched as Sara, as that was what Dumbledore had called her, sat still. The Sorting Hat was perfectly still. The scene was frozen. Nobody moved for well over five minutes. Finally, the Hat exclaimed Sara's sorting.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged sideways glances. Sara stood up and faced the crowd of students.
"Sara, would you like to tell us about yourself?" Dumbledore asked.
More confused expressions. Why was Albus Dumbledore, possibly the most powerful wizard in the world, paying so much attention to this one girl?
Sara looked around, with still no hint of insecurity or nerve. Dumbledore gave her a nod of his head, as if to let her know that she could start speaking.
"I'm… Well, er… Yes. My name is Sara, and I will be sixteen years old in December," she started. Harry noticed a foreign accent in her speech. She would roll her r's, or simply omitt them. She seemed to have trouble pronouncing the six in sixteen. Her voice had a certain melody to it, which surprised both Harry and Ron: they had imagined her to speak in the same menacing tone that Malfoy used with such expertise. "I transferred here from Se Rose Magiskskola, the wizarding academy in Sweden."
Sara stopped talking and looked down at her shoes, which looked old, ripped, and dirty. Harry realized that she must have learned English as a second language.
"Harry!" Hermione whispered.
Harry turned around to look at his friend.
"Yes?"
"Harry, no student has ever transferred here before," she said urgently.
Rediscovering his dark mood, Harry gave Hermione an annoyed look. He hated the way she always assumed that he knew what she was talking about.
"Hermione, that doesn't tell me anything."
Hermione raised her eyes to the ceiling, as if any old idiot should have known what she was talking.
"It's against the school rules to transfer schools in the wizarding world, Harry!" she hissed.
Ron, who had just tuned in, looked directly at Hermione and raised his eyebrows.
"Hermione, if you want Harry and I to understand what you're talking about, you're going to have to stop talking in code."
Harry nodded. Hermione gave Ron a cold look.
"There's something different about this Sara," she said.
Ron and Harry exchanged glances.
"Why is it that Dumbledore is paying her so much attention? Why is he introducing her to the whole school? Why is the school suddenly bending the rules to let this random girl transfer? Look at her! It's so obvious that something's going on that we don't know about!"
Harry looked straight into Hermione's eyes. Must there always be something going on?
"You know, right now, I'd rather not find out. All summer, I've been asked to keep secrets, to explore, to hide. You don't know what it's like, living at the Dursleys', yet being so connected to the Wizarding world. Knowing that, at any moment, Lord Voldemort might decide to Apparate in my room and kill me – or worse, one of you two," he exploded.
Hermione looked down. Ron searched the Great Hall for signs that anyone had heard his friend's sudden outburst. No one had. They were all watching Sara take her seat at the Gryffindor table.
"Harry, I'm sorry… I know it must be hard."
"Oh, no. It's just dandy," Harry retorted.
As the food appeared on the long, wooden table, Harry got up and stormed out of the Great Hall, leaving his two best friends and a whole crowd of people who he once might have given a second thought about.