Chapter 2 - Tamara's Sorting
Tamara got off the train with her carry on and made her way through the crowd.
"All fifth years, please meet Filch the care taker near the lamp-post over there," a gigantic, bushy haired, man named Hagrid shouted over the crowd of children who were excitedly chattering. He pointed over to a lamp- post that stood right beside a large sign that read 'Hogsmeade'. "All new comers, meet me at the boat dock just over there."
"Well, I guess that means me. Bye you guys, I'll see you later," Tamara gave her farewell.
"Bye," all three waved. "Hope you get into Gryffindor," Harry added.
Tamara smiled and left, making her way through the crowd towards the boat dock. I hope I get into Gryffindor too, she secretly thought to herself.
* * *
The Great Hall was filled with students. Everyone was rushing around trying to find they're house table. When they all settled into their seats, the Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and everyone, in reaction, fell silent.
"Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I hope you've all had a great summer and are back in the school spirit." There were a few groans at these words. "I'm sure we will have a great time this year and will all have fond memories going back home. There has been a little incident that occurred with the sorting hat earlier. Just today an animal got into my office and shredded the hat into pieces. We need to find all the pieces so that we can put it back together and we're missing a few so, until then we have a replacement." There came a wave of sudden whispers erupting from all the students.
Professor Dumbledore picked up from beside his chair a very new looking wizards hat. It was a very attractive hat though the students wondered if it would be able to fit on the heads of the first years for, the hat was extremely large. From far away it looked black, but from what Tamara could see, it was a very dark shade of green.
Tamara was sitting at the edge of the Ravenclaw table because it was placed closest to the hat, as she was instructed to do so. She was to be sorted first. The first years began to enter the Great Hall all with anxious looks on their faces and all seemed very fascinated by the enchanted ceiling which hung over the Great Hall like a large blanket, bewitched to look like the sky above. The sorting hat was placed on a stool that stood on the platform in which the staff table was. A lady with a tight bun glued to her head began to speak.
"When I call your name you will come forward, sit on this stool and I will place this hat on your head. When it announces your house you will go to your house table and take a seat. Now, we have a new sixth year student that came all the way from Canada. She is our first exchange student in ten years so I would all like you to be very kind to her and help her adjust to this completely different school system. Tamara White, please step forward."
Tamara got up and made her way, nervously, toward the stool. She heard a few whispers but didn't pay any attention to them. All eyes were on her and she didn't like it. It felt like they were all expecting her to do something, like a trick. She sat down and had the hat placed on her head which, draped over her eyes. She heard a voice in her ear, a woman's voice that began to speak.
"Hmmm, you're very brave and loyal. Stubborn though, yes, very stubborn. Won't rest till you get your way." There was a moment of silence, a strange silence the hat gave.
"Please don't put me in Slytherin, please don't. Gryffindor would be nice. Please," Tamara mumbled silently.
Suddenly the hat yelled out, "SLYTHERIN!!!"
It felt like time completely stopped. Tamara thought her heart did too. All she could hear was her breathing which, to her, seemed amplified by twenty. Nothing was in focus. Her mind was buzzing.
I can't be in Slytherin, she thought. This must be a mistake. It gave me what I didn't want. She felt like crying.
Finally everything came into focus again and she could hear the Slytherin table cheering.
"Off you go," said the teacher.
Tamara was so lost in thought she didn't even feel the hat being pulled off her head. She made her way over to her house table trembling. She passed the Gryffindors and saw Ron, Hermione and Harry look over at her. She smiled weakly and they returned her a sympathetic one. Tamara thought they wouldn't want to be her friend any more now that she was a Slytherin. She reluctantly sat down at her official house table between two girls, one with curly brown hair and the other had short dark brown hair. She sat across from a boy with slicked back blond hair. He was very pale and sandwiched between two large boys that appeared to be rather dimwitted. She remembered Ron describing them and warning her to stay away from them.
The blond boy looked at her and stuck out his hand.
"I'm Draco. This is Crabbe," he pointed to his right. "and this is Goyle," he pointed to his left.
Tamara smelt trouble. She looked at his hand but didn't shake it.
"Hi."
She turned her attention to the dark haired girl who was starring at Draco like he was her God.
"Hi! I'm Lindsey!" said the curly haired brunette happily.
"Nice to meet you." She seemed nice and friendly.
"And I'm Sarah," the Draco lover smiled.
"I'm Tamara."
Sarah seemed nice too.
"So, you're like, from Canada 'eh'?" Joked Lindsey.
"Yeah." Tamara was looking longingly over at her friends seated at the Gryffindor table.
"What are you looking at?"
"My friends."
"Who?"
"Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny."
"You serious!?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Omygosh, they're bad. I heard that Ron got so mad at Draco that he attacked him and turned him into a ferret, but of course with a good fight back from Draco. Ginny, apparently, got into the chamber of secrets and helped Voldemort. And all the teachers, well some, hate Harry cause he's such a bad kid. His own house mother took off fifty points from him cause he was sneaking around after hours. Am I not right Sarah?"
Sarah was still starring at Draco.
"Sarah?"
"Hm? What?" Sarah looked up.
"Am I not right?"
"About what?"
"The trio and that Ginny girl in Gryffindor. How they're bad kids."
Sarah just shrugged, put her head in her hand, continued starring at Draco, and sighed.
"Well they are."
"Oh." What ever Lindsey said about her friends, she didn't believe it. They were so nice on the train that she doubted every word she heard.
After all the first years finished sorting (she envied all the first year Gryffindors) Dumbledore stood and spoke once again.
"The house you are in now will be like your family for all the years you will be in Hogwarts. Throughout the year you may collect points for your house, if done something good, but may lose points if done bad. At the end of the year the house with the most points will win the house cup. Now, let the feast begin." Suddenly all the plates on the tables filled with food. They had had a nice long meal accompanied by desert and after a few ending words from Professor Dumbledore about out of bound areas (the Forbidden Forest) slowly everyone made they're way to their house dormitories, Tamara still moving reluctantly though knowing she may have met at least one girl in Slytherin that actually didn't care about stupid stories about her Gryffindor friends and at least two people that did seem nice and may be possible future friends, Lindsey and Sarah.
Tamara got off the train with her carry on and made her way through the crowd.
"All fifth years, please meet Filch the care taker near the lamp-post over there," a gigantic, bushy haired, man named Hagrid shouted over the crowd of children who were excitedly chattering. He pointed over to a lamp- post that stood right beside a large sign that read 'Hogsmeade'. "All new comers, meet me at the boat dock just over there."
"Well, I guess that means me. Bye you guys, I'll see you later," Tamara gave her farewell.
"Bye," all three waved. "Hope you get into Gryffindor," Harry added.
Tamara smiled and left, making her way through the crowd towards the boat dock. I hope I get into Gryffindor too, she secretly thought to herself.
* * *
The Great Hall was filled with students. Everyone was rushing around trying to find they're house table. When they all settled into their seats, the Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and everyone, in reaction, fell silent.
"Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I hope you've all had a great summer and are back in the school spirit." There were a few groans at these words. "I'm sure we will have a great time this year and will all have fond memories going back home. There has been a little incident that occurred with the sorting hat earlier. Just today an animal got into my office and shredded the hat into pieces. We need to find all the pieces so that we can put it back together and we're missing a few so, until then we have a replacement." There came a wave of sudden whispers erupting from all the students.
Professor Dumbledore picked up from beside his chair a very new looking wizards hat. It was a very attractive hat though the students wondered if it would be able to fit on the heads of the first years for, the hat was extremely large. From far away it looked black, but from what Tamara could see, it was a very dark shade of green.
Tamara was sitting at the edge of the Ravenclaw table because it was placed closest to the hat, as she was instructed to do so. She was to be sorted first. The first years began to enter the Great Hall all with anxious looks on their faces and all seemed very fascinated by the enchanted ceiling which hung over the Great Hall like a large blanket, bewitched to look like the sky above. The sorting hat was placed on a stool that stood on the platform in which the staff table was. A lady with a tight bun glued to her head began to speak.
"When I call your name you will come forward, sit on this stool and I will place this hat on your head. When it announces your house you will go to your house table and take a seat. Now, we have a new sixth year student that came all the way from Canada. She is our first exchange student in ten years so I would all like you to be very kind to her and help her adjust to this completely different school system. Tamara White, please step forward."
Tamara got up and made her way, nervously, toward the stool. She heard a few whispers but didn't pay any attention to them. All eyes were on her and she didn't like it. It felt like they were all expecting her to do something, like a trick. She sat down and had the hat placed on her head which, draped over her eyes. She heard a voice in her ear, a woman's voice that began to speak.
"Hmmm, you're very brave and loyal. Stubborn though, yes, very stubborn. Won't rest till you get your way." There was a moment of silence, a strange silence the hat gave.
"Please don't put me in Slytherin, please don't. Gryffindor would be nice. Please," Tamara mumbled silently.
Suddenly the hat yelled out, "SLYTHERIN!!!"
It felt like time completely stopped. Tamara thought her heart did too. All she could hear was her breathing which, to her, seemed amplified by twenty. Nothing was in focus. Her mind was buzzing.
I can't be in Slytherin, she thought. This must be a mistake. It gave me what I didn't want. She felt like crying.
Finally everything came into focus again and she could hear the Slytherin table cheering.
"Off you go," said the teacher.
Tamara was so lost in thought she didn't even feel the hat being pulled off her head. She made her way over to her house table trembling. She passed the Gryffindors and saw Ron, Hermione and Harry look over at her. She smiled weakly and they returned her a sympathetic one. Tamara thought they wouldn't want to be her friend any more now that she was a Slytherin. She reluctantly sat down at her official house table between two girls, one with curly brown hair and the other had short dark brown hair. She sat across from a boy with slicked back blond hair. He was very pale and sandwiched between two large boys that appeared to be rather dimwitted. She remembered Ron describing them and warning her to stay away from them.
The blond boy looked at her and stuck out his hand.
"I'm Draco. This is Crabbe," he pointed to his right. "and this is Goyle," he pointed to his left.
Tamara smelt trouble. She looked at his hand but didn't shake it.
"Hi."
She turned her attention to the dark haired girl who was starring at Draco like he was her God.
"Hi! I'm Lindsey!" said the curly haired brunette happily.
"Nice to meet you." She seemed nice and friendly.
"And I'm Sarah," the Draco lover smiled.
"I'm Tamara."
Sarah seemed nice too.
"So, you're like, from Canada 'eh'?" Joked Lindsey.
"Yeah." Tamara was looking longingly over at her friends seated at the Gryffindor table.
"What are you looking at?"
"My friends."
"Who?"
"Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny."
"You serious!?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Omygosh, they're bad. I heard that Ron got so mad at Draco that he attacked him and turned him into a ferret, but of course with a good fight back from Draco. Ginny, apparently, got into the chamber of secrets and helped Voldemort. And all the teachers, well some, hate Harry cause he's such a bad kid. His own house mother took off fifty points from him cause he was sneaking around after hours. Am I not right Sarah?"
Sarah was still starring at Draco.
"Sarah?"
"Hm? What?" Sarah looked up.
"Am I not right?"
"About what?"
"The trio and that Ginny girl in Gryffindor. How they're bad kids."
Sarah just shrugged, put her head in her hand, continued starring at Draco, and sighed.
"Well they are."
"Oh." What ever Lindsey said about her friends, she didn't believe it. They were so nice on the train that she doubted every word she heard.
After all the first years finished sorting (she envied all the first year Gryffindors) Dumbledore stood and spoke once again.
"The house you are in now will be like your family for all the years you will be in Hogwarts. Throughout the year you may collect points for your house, if done something good, but may lose points if done bad. At the end of the year the house with the most points will win the house cup. Now, let the feast begin." Suddenly all the plates on the tables filled with food. They had had a nice long meal accompanied by desert and after a few ending words from Professor Dumbledore about out of bound areas (the Forbidden Forest) slowly everyone made they're way to their house dormitories, Tamara still moving reluctantly though knowing she may have met at least one girl in Slytherin that actually didn't care about stupid stories about her Gryffindor friends and at least two people that did seem nice and may be possible future friends, Lindsey and Sarah.