AN~* I am really sorry that I've taken so long to update. *Puts up her hands and cowers behind them* you'll have to forgive me…….. And it's important to know that I promise I've written at least 27 chapters before the fifth book came out, and it's just coincidence and freaky-ness that some parts are similar. J.K. must've copied off me…lol
Chapter 9
A whole 5 minutes passed.
"Er, sorting hat? What are you doing?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"Sorry, professor, I was just lending him some beauty tips for his skin," replied Kassi. The Great Hall fell silent, while Dumbledore smiled behind his beard, eyes twinkling. Wow! Thought Tess, she's got guts! Kassi grinned cheekily.
"I beg your pardon, Miss Bently?"
"Don't worry Professor, she's in SLYTHERIN!" assured the sorting hat. He shouted the last word. Kassi bounced over to the Slytherin table. McGonagall watched her exasperated. Tess saw a greasy-headed, blonde boy look at Kassi approvingly. Most boys these days did that. Tess sighed.
"Bently, Tess." Called Professor McGonagall, fuming slightly, "And no beauty tips, ok?"
Tess smiled to herself, stepped up and sat on the stool.
"Another Bently, eh?" a little voice buzzed in her ear, "You're the last one, aren't you? Oooh, I see you have a love of books, and plenty of brains, no doubt about that. But a tendency to wander off, eh? And a thirst to prove yourself. Not with your family, eh? And not in Slytherin. Are you sure? I can't put you in Hufflepuff; you're too smart for that. You still sure not Slytherin? You could be great you know. Not with your family? Yeah, well, they said that too. Better be,"
"Gryffindor!" Tess heard the last word out loud. Professor McGonagall lifted the hat off and Tess went to the Gryffindor table, amongst clapping. She sat down next to a girl with bushy, brown hair, across from a gangly boy with red hair, and the boy that she'd seen in her dreams.
"Congratulation, you've been picked for the best house," said a voice behind her. She stifled a scream. 'A ghost!' the other three people laughed.
"Nick," said the red haired boy, "Don't tease her like that. She's only a muggle after all," he said in a crisp British accent. Nick pouted.
"Why not?"
"Don't worry about him," the boy said to Tess, "My name's Ron, what's yours?"
"T-t-tess," she replied, her heart still thumping from the fright. "And what's a muggle?"
"I'm Hermione," the bushy haired girl said, smiling.
"And I'm Harry," said the boy from her dreams, the one with the green eyes. They all had unreal English accents and they looked nice too. They all shook hands with Tess.
"A muggle is someone who has none, or very little magic in their blood," sprouted Hermione.
"Ok, just forget about the ghost. I know when I'm not wanted." Nick went down the other end of the table in a huff.
"He gets moody sometimes," Harry grinned as he left. ("I heard that!") "But he's alright really."
"Thanks," Tess replied.
"So it is true!" said Ron, is eyes round. "You ARE from Australia."
"Yeah," said Tess slowly. Some more from her school joined the table, but kept to themselves. Ron, Harry and Hermione kept their attention fixed on Tess.
'She's different from the others…' thought Harry… but he dismissed the thought, as the sorting was over, and the feast was about to start. Filch took the hat away. Dumbledore stood up.
"Two, four, six, eight, dig in and don't wait!" he cried. Professor McGonagall shook her head. The plates filled with food.
"So, where do you come from in Australia?" asked Hermione, pointedly not looking at Ron, who was currently attacking his chicken with great gusto.
"Well," said Tess, playing with her food, "It's a place near Melbourne, called Ballarat…"
"Oh, I went there when I visited when I visited Australia last hols!" said Hermione excitedly, "Except everyone was in school when I went. You Australians have weird school holiday dates."
"No," said Tess, taking the bait, "It's a matter of principal. You are the ones with the weird holidays dates…"
Hermione grinned, and Tess smiled back.
"Ahh, 'mionee," said Ron with his mouth full of food. He swallowed when Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust. "A worthy adversary!"
They all burst out laughing.
~~~~@#*~*#@~~~~
"Gryffindors, follow me and keep up!" a prefect said. They came to the Fat Lady. Tess almost didn't notice that they'd stopped; she was too busy looking at the moving pictures and bumped into Hermione.
"Password?"
"Am`are Labor`are," answered the Prefect. She swung forwards, and they all climbed through. Tess stood with Harry, Ron and Hermione, although she wasn't sure whether they wanted her around. Hermione beckoned her closer.
"About how old are you?"
"15, why?"
"Good, that'll mean that you are in our year, and have the came classes and dorms."
Professor McGonagall came through the portrait hole.
"As there is only one plane load of Ballarat High School students, we are putting into groups of two girls and two boys."
She read out the groups of the first years, second years, third years, and fourth years. She came to the fifth years.
"Bently, Tess, you will be put with," she paused and moved her hand across the page, "Miss Granger, Mister Potter, and Mister Weasly."
The two boys high-fived, and the girls hugged.
'thank god we got one with brains,' thought Harry, 'here I was thinking that we'd be with someone who cared more about what was on her head, instead of in it. She and Hermione would make good study buddies. I'll have to owl Sirius and tell him…' Harry looked at Tess. She'd seemed to settle in well. Harry suddenly felt very tired. What a long day it had been. Voldemort coming to the Dursley's, moving in with Sirius at 7, seeing the change in Ginny, meeting Tess… Everyone made their way up to the dormitories.
"Ron?" asked Harry.
"Hmm?" answered Ron, absentmindedly.
"Ron, stop thinking about Hermione and listen," said Harry sharply. "You know Tess's cousin … Kassi; don't you think that it's a bit odd that she's the only muggle to be sorted into Slytherin?"
"Stress less Harry, don't you think Dumbledore's noticed?" replied Ron airily.
"Well, the last time that I saw Dumbledore, he had had a little too much to drink," replied Harry grimly.
"What? Dumbledore tipsy? Yeah, right Harry, pull the other one, it plays God Save the Queen," said Ron sarcastically.
"Ron, I'm serious. I'm sure that someone spiked Dumbledore's drink, because he doesn't drink alcohol," said Harry worriedly.
"Well, suppose that Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, wassis-name, Tromedlov, wouldn't have spiked his drink, Snape was watching him weirdly, and that muggle studies teacher, Djorvic, she wouldn't have, she's a MUGGLE," finished Ron.
"Well, who do you reckon then?" There was a pause.
"I … well … there's always … oh, I dunno!"
"Well, we'd better keep a close eye on those two, just in case. Whaddya think about Tess's cousin Kassi?" asked Harry persistently.
"Oh, yeah, she's a bit of alright."
"No, not like that! She's the only muggle to be sorted into Slytherin!"
"Oh, was she?"
"Ro-on"
"Oh, well, that's weird enough."
Harry gave up on him.
AN~* do you think that's enough? I mean, for this chapter. I'll start typing chapter 10 soon! Remember, please review!
*Leaves the computer, hands cramped*