Begin Chapter Five

Chapter Five: Has the Sorting Hat Ever Been Wrong

As the hat was pulled of, Dinah looked oddly pleased with herself. Ava on the other hand, looked stunned. The Slytherin table clapped politely but some jeered. Malfoy looked extremely pleased at the outcome. He shoved Goyle off of the seat to the right of him and offered it to Dinah. She smiled at him at sat down in the seat. Goyle looked upset but he just grunted. Ron, seeing that Ava was upset, tried to start conversation.

"What's your name?" Ron asked Ava. She snapped out of her daze while she was looking at her sister.

"Oh! Um, my name is Ava. Pleased to meet you…"

"Ron. Ron Weasley," He said taking her hand and shaking it. "Don't worry about your sister. I'm sure she'll see straight through Malfoy."

"And I'm Hermione Granger." They shook hands. "Ron is right you know. Malfoy is a horrible person."

"It's not him I'm worried about. Hagrid explained each of the houses on the train. He told us that Slytherin doled out the most Dark Wizards and Witches of any house. But Dinah didn't seem fazed by it. Even when Hagrid said that Voldemort was in that house." A couple of people flinched at the sound of his name. Ava looked worried. "Has the Sorting Hat ever been wrong? I mean, we're supposed to stick together."

"I'm sorry to tell you this but the Sorting Hat has never been wrong," Hermione said. She faltered when she saw the strange look on Ava's face. "But Slytherin can help your sister on the way to greatness. It doesn't mean she wants to be a Dark Witch." Hermione hesitantly looked at Ron for help, but he just shrugged.

Ava smiled softly. "That's what the Sorting Hat said in his little song. I guess you're right. There's no way Dinah would want to be a Dark Witch with what's happening to us right now. I'm probably just overreacting." Ava smiled at them. She looked at Harry and smiled.

"I'm afraid I didn't catch your name." She extended her hand.

Harry was stunned. This was new. Usually people knew who he was when they saw his scar and they would gawk at him. It made him uncomfortable. He liked this change a whole lot more. He smiled back as he took her hand.

"I'm Harry Potter. Pleasure to meet you." As he shook her hand, he felt electricity run through his body at the contact. He didn't realize he was staring at her before she started laughing a little nervously.

"Uh, I think I need my hand Harry."

"Oh! I'm sorry." Harry turned crimson but he noticed she was blushing too. Ron and Hermione were looking back and forth at the both of them with knowing smiles on their faces.

"Well!" Ron said, breaking the silence, "time to eat!" They all noticed the plates were full of delicious food. But there were some new additions to the usual Feast dinner.

"Oh my God! Knishes? Hot dogs? Pizza?" Ava was shocked. These were things from New York! She looked at the High Table and Dumbledore winked and smiled. She realized he was trying to make her feel at home. She smiled back. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here after all.

Harry and Ron sat in the boy's dormitory later that night. Harry had only been thinking of Ava. He was in a stupor since the feast ended and they all walked upstairs. Ava had said her goodnights and retired to her bedroom. But it was that smile when she told him goodnight. The smile that made his knees feel like jelly. He didn't realize that Ron had been talking for the past half-hour.

"Harry! Harry! HARRY!" Harry snapped out of his daze reluctantly. He looked at Ron sheepishly.

"Sorry. I was just thinking."

"About?" Ron smiled because he knew whom Harry was thinking of.

"Someone," Harry's ears were turning bright red.

"I believe that someone is Ava," Ron said mockingly. "I think our ickle-Harrykins is smitten! What happened to Cho?"

"Huh? Who?" Ron absolutely howled with laughter when Harry said this. All the other boys groaned at the noise that Ron was making.

"Shhh! Shut up Ron! If you tell anyone I'll hex you!" Harry still smiled despite his threat. He would've told Ron anyway. He was kind of glad that Ron figured it out on his own. Ron's howling had now turned into sniggers. Harry started to laugh with him.

"You have to ask her to the Yule Ball," Ron said.

"That's three months away Ron! You must be crazy. I can't ask her now. I don't even know if she likes me too."

"Get an early start Harry. Are you thick or did you not notice how gorgeous she is?"

"It's not only her looks Ron. She treated me normally. Like I was a normal person. Not "The-Boy-Who-Lived" or the "famous" Harry Potter. You don't know how good that felt."

"Awwww. Has ickle-Harrykins gone all sentimental on me? I still say you ask her soon."

"Shut up Ron," Harry said laughing. "Let's go to bed. We have Defense against the Dark Arts early in the morning with Slytherin."

Ava strolled into the Great Hall for breakfast. She looked at the Gryffindor table, not knowing where to sit. It seemed every spot was taken. She was about to walk right out when…

"Ava! Over here!" It was Hermione. She had saved a seat for her. Funny. The seat she saved for her was right next to Harry. Ava sat down in her seat giving Harry a shy smile.

"Morning guys. Thanks for saving me a seat."

"You're welcome. So how do you like Hogwarts so far?" Hermione asked.

"I really like it so far. I just hope the teachers are…" Ava stopped short when she saw the owls swoop in.

"Ah. Mails here." Harry said, keeping an eye out for Hedwig. Sure enough, Hedwig came swooping in, with a letter clutched in her beak. She landed on the table and gave Harry an affectionate nip on the ear before she flew away. It was a letter from Hagrid, inviting Harry to come over for a cup of tea later. He tucked the letter into his robes.

"Ouch! What the…" A little gray ball of fluff had hit Ron on the side of the head. The little ball was hooting shrilly in a happy way. The note it was carrying in its beak was ten times bigger than it was. "Pigwidgeon! Little brainless git!" The little owl shrilled happily in response. It seemed extremely pleased with its delivery. Ron grabbed the note from Pigwidgeon's beak, which was no easy feat, for the little bird was dancing around Ron's head. Ron choked when he opened the envelope.

"Harry! Rita Skeeter's done it again! She wrote about Professor Dean! Look!" He thrust the newspaper clipping at Harry who looked extremely annoyed and made a noise of disgust when he heard Rita's name mentioned. He looked at the article and wasn't shocked by what he saw.

Violent Hogwarts Teacher Begins Reign Of Terror

By Rita Skeeter

A new teacher has come to Hogwarts and she seems hell-bent on terrorizing students and fellow teachers alike. Her name is Professor Priscilla Dean and she is the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts and since day one, she has commanded even the likes of Dumbledore.

"I think she's trying to take over the school in a short amount of time," says Draco Malfoy, a handsome sixth year student. "She knows she's only got a year, just like the rest of them."

He is of course, referring to the fact that Hogwarts has hosted a bevy of Defense against the Dark Arts teachers and all have only lasted a year. Many of our kind are beginning to think the job is jinxed and Dumbledore has been getting desperate for anyone to fill the position. He even let a werewolf take on the job. Miss Dean is only nineteen years old, the youngest teacher that Hogwarts has ever seen. She seems to be a rebellious teen who picks on other people. What Dumbledore has failed to realize is that Professor Dean has begun to bully innocent students.

"This school is going to the dogs if the Headmaster is taking orders from a teacher. Especially one as young as she is. My father won't be happy when he hears about the way the school is being run," young Malfoy told me. I am sure that many of the other students' parents will feel the same way

"Rita Skeeter has picked a new victim," Harry said, annoyed. "I was wondering when it was going to happen. And Malfoy helped her. Two peas in a pod, they are."

"Don't worry Harry," Hermione said. "They'll get theirs one day. In the meantime, we have to get to class or we're going to be late.

They all trouped up to their classroom. Hermione and Harry were angry but Ron was livid. His face matched his hair and his face was contorted with fury. He was muttering darkly under his breath about what he was going to do to Malfoy. Ava was trying to calm him down since she was the only one who wasn't upset. She had the pleasure of never meeting Rita Skeeter

"Don't worry Ron. I'm sure Professor Dean won't care. And this Malfoy guy is just a punk," she added, not knowing whether he truly was or not. She was glad that Professor Dean had spared her the chance of meeting this Rita character, too. Ava had finally calmed down Ron when a cold, drawling voice said,

"So Weasley, did you enjoy the article? I myself was very pleased with the outcome. And Professor Dean is going to get it today. My father is due any minute. I'm sure she'll resign once my father is through with her." Ron, now snarling, had to be held back by Ava, Hermione, Harry and Seamus.

"Oh what have we here? The famous Ava Richardson with the famous Harry Potter? I don't believe you'll be able to fit in that door with how big both of your head are. I've had the pleasure of meeting your sister. She will be so upset when she hears what sort of riff-raff her dear little sister hangs around with. " Those were the last words out of his mouth before Ava lunged at him. Harry and Ron tried to pull her off of Malfoy but they were scared she'd turn her fury on them. Crabbe and Goyle had the same problem too. They didn't deal with girls. But they were panicked hearing Malfoy shrieking at the top of his lungs.

"WHAT is going on here!" Professor Dean yelled. She pulled Ava off of Malfoy and then she smirked. She stifled her laughter at seeing a girl beat up Malfoy. She cleared her throat. "I am sorry Miss Richardson but I will have to take five points from Gryffindor."

"FIVE POINTS? She ATTACKED me! I want action, NOW!" Malfoy was yelling and everyone could plainly see his robes were torn a bit and he had a large bruise forming on his cheek. "This is an outrage!"

"Mr. Malfoy," Professor Dean said coolly, "if you don't want points taken from Slytherin, I suggest you calm down. Everyone into the classroom." It took a while for everyone to get settle down because everyone was sniggering at Malfoy. Ava was red in the face with anger and Malfoy flinched when she walked past him to get to her table. The only thing keeping her from punching him again was that Harry and Ron were pinning her arms to her sides. They sat down at the table.

"Wow," was the only thing that came out of Ron's mouth. "That was brilliant." Ava seemed to have calmed down a bit but she was still angry.

"You're lucky Professor Dean didn't expel you," Hermione said.

"He deserved it. Let him talk about my sister again and I'll kill…" Hermione shushed her loudly because Professor Dean looked at them.

"Take it easy Ava," Harry said. "You almost did kill him. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

Ava smiled softly. "My father. My mother was none to happy when she found out my dad was teaching me how to defend myself."

"You've got to give me lessons sometime," Ron said, awestruck. He was about to ask her about her left hook when the classroom door flew open with a bang. The most unexpected and unwelcome person walked in. Lucius Malfoy strolled in with a copy of the Daily Prophet clutched in his fist. He strode up to Professor Dean's desk, a look of anger on his face. But it didn't match the look on her face. It was pure loathing. She stood up and glared at him.

"What are you doing disrupting my class?" Professor Dean asked.

"I'm sure I'm not disrupting anything important, my dear. I have a bone to pick with you. I hear tell that you are picking on students and teachers. One of the victims of your bullying has been my son. If you have the audacity to pick on my son, a Malfoy, and then threaten a…well respected journalist such as Rita Skeeter, who knows when and who you will throw your rage upon next? I want your resignation from this school effective immediately or I will make your run here a living hell. Mark my words." A lot of other wizards and witches would have cowered with Lucius Malfoy like this. But not Professor Dean. She merely smiled.

"Wow. Such big words for such a narrow-minded mammal. Be careful. You might hurt yourself." Lucius Malfoy's nostrils flared and his pale face was now flushed.

"You stupid little girl you have no idea who you are talking to! I am a Malfoy and I command your respect. Your uncle must be ashamed that his niece doesn't show respect for one of the oldest wizarding families in the world. But it's no matter because your time here is short, just like the rest of them," he snarled.

"My dear Mr. Malfoy, I intend to be in this school for a long time. Now would you please see yourself out of my classroom? While you're at it, escort your son with you to the Hospital Wing. It seems the both of you have a penchant for getting beat by girls, one way or another." The class roared with laughter at this. Lucius Malfoy turned to look at his son for the first time since setting foot in the room. His anger was, if possible flared up at the sight of his son.

"Come Draco," Lucius said nastily. Both Malfoy's left, the elder, muttering darkly under his breath and the younger looking angry and ashamed.

Ron turned to Harry and said, "Is it just me or does school get better and better?"

End Chapter Five