They all talked for a while and Ron told them (rather proudly) all about Hermione's superb hexing abilities. She seemed quite satisfied with herself but was blushing the entire time. After that they all changed into their Hogwarts proper attires and waited for the most anticipated return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Meanwhile, Harry's mind involuntarily returned to Bonnie Mason. She had seemed like such a nice girl at first. Only thing that actually 'bothered' Harry was that he couldn't help but to think there was something else about her… something, not necessarily bad… just something else that as it seemed, she had no intention on 'revealing'.
More for his momentarily exasperation, Harry was once more abruptly shaken away from his thoughts (as it had happened many times lately). Ron was tapping his arm as the Hogwarts Express came to a halt. They had finally arrived at the Hogsmeade Station.
Harry looked out the window and sighed with relief. He was finally here, at Hogwarts. Last term felt like it was ages ago; the summer had been inhumanly tedious as they all had been, but none worst than this one. He got up and exited the train, quickly followed by Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville. They all headed together towards the horseless stagecoaches and Harry flinched involuntarily when he saw the thestrals but shook it off as soon as he remember how useful they were last time. Maybe if I didn't get their help I wouldn't have been able to go to the Ministry of Magic and Sirius would still be alive… With much difficulty he shook that thought away as well. He really didn't want to go back at blaming himself for Sirius' death all the time.
He looked at Neville, who surprisingly didn't have a trace of fear on his face at the sight of thestrals. Instead, he smiled and walked over to them. Harry was shocked to see that he was actually patting the noble beast's long black mane. The thestral was just looking at him with its white empty eyes and batted its leathery wings a bit. Neville looked at Harry and said:
"They're not so bad, are they?"
"I think they're not after all…" he answered as Neville backed away from the thestrals and they both entered the carriage.
"Hey, guess what?" asked Neville as soon as the carriage took off. The others gave him puzzled looks which he took as 'what?'. " I heard there's a new class at Hogwarts!"
"Cool, what about?" asked Harry, half wishing it wasn't anything boring.
"Flying." Neville answered.
"But don't we already have a Flying curse at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah… but that's only for first year's, isn't it? Well this one is for higher years and its more challenging…and I heard it was gonna be taught by a professional." Neville said nodding. He didn't like flying much… who would blame him, though? After all, his first experience on a broom wasn't exactly a pleasant one.
"Wicked! We should take that class, Harry!"-Said Ron- "not that you needed or anything…" the last part with a small envious note.
"Harry's a superb flyer!" said Ginny smiling at him. Harry felt himself go red for the fiftieth time on the day.
"Thanks…" he said with a small voice.
"I wonder who teaches it," asked Hermione just as the carriage came to a stop.
"I guess we'll figure it now…" she said shrugging lightly.
They all got out of the carriages and walked inside the castle and talked excitedly as they entered the Great Hall and sat on the Griffindor Table. Harry was going to sit between Hermione and Ron as he usually did, but they were too close for him to just squeeze in between them. He took a sit at Ron's left and Ginny and Neville sat at the opposite side of the table and waited for the sorting ceremony to begin.
Seconds after this, the doors of the great hall opened and the first years entered the hall in two straight lines, led by Professor McGonagall. Professor McGonagall was, as she usually did, carrying the wooden stool and the battered old sorting hat. The first years looked completely terrified, as it seemed to be a tradition for older students to tell their siblings that for them to get sorted, they must pass a number of completely nonsensical tasks. Some of them were told that they had to take on trolls or to perform spells in front of the whole school... completely ludicrous things that only a kid that age would believe. And in consequence, for most kids that age, this was all a very 'traumatic' experience.
Harry remembered when he was about to get sorted himself. He remembered how nervous he was and how surreal the whole 'Hogwarts prospect' felt like. He grinned sympathetically at a panicky looking girl as she passed by him. The girl blushed profusely and almost fell down when she bumped in the boy in front of her. She murmured her apologies and kept on walking, keeping her head down. Harry shook his head sadly.
"Poor kids… so scared," said Hermione, who apparently watched the whole thing "it seems silly now that you think about it… you know, being afraid for such a thing…" Harry nodded in agreement and followed the line of first years as McGonagall stopped in front of the staff table, set down the stool and placed the sorting hat on top of it.
Harry wondered how the exchange students were going to be sorted but almost as an answer, two persons, (slightly larger than the crowd in front of them) walking behind the first years, came as the last ones in the lines.
Bonnie Mason winked at Harry when she passed by him. He blushed and turned to face Ron and Hermione and was shocked to see that they both had their mouths hanging open. Ron leaned closer to Harry and whispered hurriedly on his ear.
"Mate, is that the girl you met?!" he said swallowing hard, his eyes wide and his voice slightly croaky.
"Yeah…" Harry answered, both his eyebrows furrowed.
"Bloody hell!" Ron said maybe a little to loud.
"What?"
"She looks good, that's all…" Ron said grinning, his ears turning red.
"So? No need to go caveman on her, mate…" Harry said rolling his eyes.
"Heh… right… sorry…"his ears turning redder.
Harry was almost sure that Hermione was going to give them one of her don't-be-so-shallow speeches but she was looking avidly at the person next to Bonnie, her mouth shaped in a half smile. Harry raised his eyebrows and looked at her questioningly, and so did Ron. She seemed to notice the looks that she was getting and turned to look at Ron and Harry.
"Er, sorry guys… what were you saying?" she said, turning very red.
"Good thing you weren't staring." Ron said coldly.
"Oh, please! I was not staring… its just that… I sort of know him." She said with a small voice.
"You what?" said Ron, a little too harshly.
"He's Pierre Luc, the one from Beauxbattons… I met him that summer I went to France with my parents…" she said reddening, as Ron glared at her with narrowed eyes.
The long line of first years and exchange students, stopped when they were all gathered in front of the staff table. Dumbledore stood up.
"Like many of you might have already noticed, this year we will
be having three exchange students from different schools and countries," he
nodded at Bonnie and Pierre Luc. "The third exchange student should be arriving
later this week." he stopped and looked at the confused looks on the rest of
the students, but kept on talking.
"Since they will stay here for the whole year, we shall treat them with respect
and show them hospitality. In moments like this we must all unite for the
common good, and this is why I asked the Ministry of Magic to allow me to hold
this exchange. They accepted, and of course, I was more than honored to receive
such wonderful young people here, at Hogwarts. They were great witches and
wizard back home, and I'm sure they will be here too. Now, let the sorting
begin!" and he sat back down.
The sorting hat stood still for a moment, then the rip just above the rim of
the hat opened in a mouth-like form and began singing.
Long, long time ago,
When Hogwarts was just instated,
The four noble founders came together,
And this clever hat created.
They wished for me to sort
Who belongs with them;
Slytherin liked the ambitious and driven;
Ravenclaw looked for intellect above all;
Gryffindor wanted the bravest and daring;
And Hufflepuff wanted the rest and asked for nothing more.
The four founders lived in harmony for several years.
Then discord broke, and separated them all.
The once friends Slytherin and Gryffindor agreed no more,
As selective Slytherin would only teach those with pure blood.
Gryffindor and the rest thought everybody deserved a chance,
And the Slytherins' have been away ever since then.
In the past I have given you warnings,
I have advised you from the foe,
But it seems you have not heard me
As you keep doing wrong.
I still feel the distance
Between the four old houses,
So why don't you all come together
For the good of all magic?
This school needs unity
for the sake of its future,
So the many generations of wizards to come
May learn all what the founders once taught.
So now I shall ask you,
Where do you belong?
Maybe you are a gifted Ravenclaw,
Or you perhaps value blood above all?
Are you a courageous Gryffindor or a noble Hufflepuff?
It's all inside your own head
And it is my duty to figure it out,
And since all the choices I've told you,
Let the sorting begin now!
When the song ended, the great hall broke out in applause. Harry thought that this years' song wasn't quite as strange as the song the sorting hat had sang the year before. He looked sideways at Ron, who shrugged and kept clapping. Harry thought about the events that had happened within the last months and didn't find it out of place for the hat to give them more advice.
"It just keeps giving the school more advice…" he heard Hermione say.
"I think it will keep doing so," he said turning to Hermione. "until the danger is over… if it ever is…" he said, laughing bitterly.
"We will first sort the first years." He heard McGonagall's voice say. He turned around only to see her unrolling the long parchment. "Andrews, William."
Harry followed him with his gaze, as the small, black-haired boy walked up to the stool and sat on it. McGonagall then placed the sorting hat over his round face, covering it from view. After what only seemed like a couple of seconds, the hat yelled "Hufflepuff!" and the boy, looking slightly more relieved, walked up to the Hufflepuff table in which he was received with applauses.
Shortly after the first person was sorted, Harry's mind started wondering off. He was shaken from his thoughts by the loud rumbling noise that came from Ron's stomach, just "Lawrence, Samara" was sorted into Ravenclaw. Ron's ears turned instinctively red.
"Sorry, mate! I haven't eaten in-" He was just about to explain himself, but he was cut off just as "Malfoy, Druscilla" was sorted into Gryffindor.
Harry thought he had misinterpreted what McGonagall had said and quickly turned to Ron and Hermione, and curiously, they all mouthed "Malfoy?!" at the same time.
