Chapter 4 – Bettie's Grudge
The Great Hall was festive through and through. All the rest of the student body had already seated themselves at the House tables, so Liz, Rachel, and Michael quickly went to go find seats. Liz ended up by Bettie Hess, who stuck her nose in the air and ignored her.
Professor Longbottom carried a stool with the Sorting Hat perched on top to the front of the Hall. He stumbled right before he could place it. Professor Weasley all of the other teachers waited expectantly.
The brim ripped open and the Hat began to sing.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts, it's a very cheery place..."
Liz tuned it out. She had plenty of better things to do than listen to a singing hat. She chanced a glance at David Hannigan, who held his head in his hands and seemed to be staring right through the hat. Then he looked in Liz's direction. After a thrill of excitement, Liz noticed Bettie was waving to him. He had been looking at her. Oh. Well, it wasn't like she fancied him or anything...
"C'mon, Liz, pay attention," Michael muttered. "Liz's head snapped toward Professor Weasley, who was holding a long roll of parchment in front of her and clearing her throat.
"Agosto, Kevin!"
The nervous-looking first-year stumbled on his way up to the stool. Liz watched him with an air of age. Was it just her, or were the new first- years getting progressively smaller each year? Or maybe she was getting bigger...yes, that had to be it.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Aguilera, Randy!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
He hurried over to the Hufflepuff table and (Liz noted) took a seat near David as Kelli Boehm was made a Ravenclaw.
Lillie Bohn was the first new Gryffindor, and Bruce Boudreaux followed her. Thomas Callis was the first new Slytherin. He looked like one, too; a malicious grin seemed permanently plastered on his face. Beverley Castor and Edna Coney joined the Gryffindors, while Sylvia Dagostino took a seat near Randy at the Hufflepuff table. Then there were three new Slytherins in a row: Jonathan Delrio, April Doerr, and Judith Eckhardt.
A minute later, everyone up to Becky Otero was finished. "Rae, Rita!" called Professor Weasley.
"SLYTHERIN!" yelled the hat.
"Rael, Jacob!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Finally, after Clarence Wyckoff was Sorted into Slytherin, Professor Weasley smiled slightly and called, "Yates, Carla!"
Rachel crossed her fingers and screwed up her face. "Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor..." She unscrewed her eyes to look at Liz and Michael. "Help me here!"
Michael shrugged at Liz and crossed his fingers, too. Liz reluctantly followed suit. The Sorting Hat seemed to take an awfully long time to Sort Carla. Finally—
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Rachel hailed Carla with cheers. "Rachel, Rachel, I'm a Gryffindor! Can you believe it?"
"Shh," Rachel shushed her. "Theresa's up."
Carla quieted down, and Liz thought vaguely that she had never seen either of the twins sit so still before the Sorting Hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" Professor Weasley beamed and made the roll of parchment she was holding disappear. Theresa bounded over to her twin and they hugged in celebration.
"I have no wish to restrain you from the food you undoubtedly crave," said McGonagall, "so tuck in!"
Instantly, the plates filled with food. There was a flurry of hands trying to get the first piece from each dish. Liz waited until the dust had settled before taking a leg of chicken.
"Mm, dat's goo'," said Michael, mashed potatoes showing through his teeth. Liz and Rachel recoiled in disgust.
"How can you eat like that?" Liz asked, still eyeing Michael with severe distaste.
"Ask our dad," said Jessica Weasley, a few seats down. "He eats like that, too. Ugh."
Michael swallowed with some difficulty. "It's just easier that way. Every man for himself."
Rachel raised an eyebrow. "The only men I see are the teachers."
"You know what I mean," said Michael, rolling his eyes as if Rachel was just trying to annoy him (which she probably was).
"Liz! Hey—Liz!" called a voice. Liz looked around to see her cousin, Nora Lovegood, approaching her. Nora was a second-year Hufflepuff, and her father was Liz's real mother's brother. Nora had a brother herself, Carl, who was a Ravenclaw fourth-year. Most people, Liz included, thought Nora was slightly dotty.
"Hi, Liz. How was your summer? I read a magazine that my dad threw away for some reason. It was called the Quibbler. It's really fascinating."
It took a minute for Liz to realize which magazine Nora was referring to. "You mean the one our grandfather ran?"
Nora's eyes widened. "He did? Well, he set the foundation for an awesome magazine."
Liz shrugged, as the Quibbler was one of the only things she had never read. "Really," she said, uninterested.
"Yes, really. You should read it sometime." Liz was about to suggest Nora go back to her own table when Nora said, "Well, I better get back to the feast. Bye."
Liz watched her go with raised eyebrows. Rachel wore the same expression. "I've read the Quibbler before. It's absolute rubbish. Last year they had an article about how the Quidditch World Cup a few years ago was cancelled because one of the Seekers lost his dog, so he pretended to have dragon pox. And that was one of the most reasonable articles in there."
"That article was just plain stupid," Michael put in, "because I've read Quidditch Daily...daily for the past five years, and they had pictures of the dragon-shaped bumps all over him. It was positively grotesque."
Liz winced. "Do I really want to hear this?"
"Sure you do," said Michael. He then launched into a long-winded tale about an article in the Quibbler about a C flat and D sharp bells that attacked and ate a family of twenty-six.
It was then time to head upstairs for bed. Jessica Weasley, the fifth-year Gryffindor prefect, led them all the way to the portrait hole, told them the password ("Conjunctivitis"), and let them in.
"I'll be lucky if I ever get in; I can't pronounce Conjinc—Conjunci—Con—" said Michael.
"Conjunctivitis?" Liz said carefully.
"Yeah, that."
Liz made him repeat after her twelve times before he could finally say it. Then she and Rachel took one staircase and Michael took the other up to their respective dormitories. The girls found all their belongings and all their roommates upstairs waiting for them. Bettie leered unpleasantly at Liz before jumping into her bed and thrusting the hangings together.
"When is she going to get over that?" Liz said angrily.
Rachel nodded. "It was...what...two years ago?"
"Yes, but don't forget that McGonagall cancelled the Valentine's Day Dance last year because of what happened in first-year."
"True."
All five Gryffindor third-year girls had to take turns using the shower. Liz ended up last, and Bettie fourth, so that Liz had to wait while Bettie proceeded to take a half-hour-long shower. Rachel was already asleep by the time Bettie emerged from the bathroom, looking smug and very pleased with herself. Liz edged past her into the bathroom and took a long shower, too, though not half as long as Bettie's. She came out, pulled out her wand, and used a quick Drying Spell on her hair so she wouldn't risk a cold. Mrs. Smith had always told her never to go to bed with wet hair; according to her, it was almost guaranteed that she would wake with either a cough or a fever, or both.
Bettie was snoring loudly and sleeping soundly in her bed. Liz climbed into her bed and tried to go to sleep, but she just couldn't. She had too much on her mind, preventing her from getting any rest.
First, there was the Dragon. He had escaped last year while injured and presumably unconscious. He was out there, somewhere, biding his time or planning something else to fulfill his goal, which was to take over Hogwarts.
Then there was her mother. Her real mother. She hadn't written in a while, leading Liz to believe she might have been injured, or worse, dead. If Luna was dead, the Liz would never get to see her, ever.
Besides the subject of David Hannigan, which Liz pushed out of her mind, there were her two new classes, Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. Liz was worried that the latter would be boring, like History of Magic. Care of Magical Creatures was almost guaranteed to be fun, as Hagrid was teaching it.
Liz rolled over in bed and fell asleep.
The Great Hall was festive through and through. All the rest of the student body had already seated themselves at the House tables, so Liz, Rachel, and Michael quickly went to go find seats. Liz ended up by Bettie Hess, who stuck her nose in the air and ignored her.
Professor Longbottom carried a stool with the Sorting Hat perched on top to the front of the Hall. He stumbled right before he could place it. Professor Weasley all of the other teachers waited expectantly.
The brim ripped open and the Hat began to sing.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts, it's a very cheery place..."
Liz tuned it out. She had plenty of better things to do than listen to a singing hat. She chanced a glance at David Hannigan, who held his head in his hands and seemed to be staring right through the hat. Then he looked in Liz's direction. After a thrill of excitement, Liz noticed Bettie was waving to him. He had been looking at her. Oh. Well, it wasn't like she fancied him or anything...
"C'mon, Liz, pay attention," Michael muttered. "Liz's head snapped toward Professor Weasley, who was holding a long roll of parchment in front of her and clearing her throat.
"Agosto, Kevin!"
The nervous-looking first-year stumbled on his way up to the stool. Liz watched him with an air of age. Was it just her, or were the new first- years getting progressively smaller each year? Or maybe she was getting bigger...yes, that had to be it.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Aguilera, Randy!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
He hurried over to the Hufflepuff table and (Liz noted) took a seat near David as Kelli Boehm was made a Ravenclaw.
Lillie Bohn was the first new Gryffindor, and Bruce Boudreaux followed her. Thomas Callis was the first new Slytherin. He looked like one, too; a malicious grin seemed permanently plastered on his face. Beverley Castor and Edna Coney joined the Gryffindors, while Sylvia Dagostino took a seat near Randy at the Hufflepuff table. Then there were three new Slytherins in a row: Jonathan Delrio, April Doerr, and Judith Eckhardt.
A minute later, everyone up to Becky Otero was finished. "Rae, Rita!" called Professor Weasley.
"SLYTHERIN!" yelled the hat.
"Rael, Jacob!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Finally, after Clarence Wyckoff was Sorted into Slytherin, Professor Weasley smiled slightly and called, "Yates, Carla!"
Rachel crossed her fingers and screwed up her face. "Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor..." She unscrewed her eyes to look at Liz and Michael. "Help me here!"
Michael shrugged at Liz and crossed his fingers, too. Liz reluctantly followed suit. The Sorting Hat seemed to take an awfully long time to Sort Carla. Finally—
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Rachel hailed Carla with cheers. "Rachel, Rachel, I'm a Gryffindor! Can you believe it?"
"Shh," Rachel shushed her. "Theresa's up."
Carla quieted down, and Liz thought vaguely that she had never seen either of the twins sit so still before the Sorting Hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" Professor Weasley beamed and made the roll of parchment she was holding disappear. Theresa bounded over to her twin and they hugged in celebration.
"I have no wish to restrain you from the food you undoubtedly crave," said McGonagall, "so tuck in!"
Instantly, the plates filled with food. There was a flurry of hands trying to get the first piece from each dish. Liz waited until the dust had settled before taking a leg of chicken.
"Mm, dat's goo'," said Michael, mashed potatoes showing through his teeth. Liz and Rachel recoiled in disgust.
"How can you eat like that?" Liz asked, still eyeing Michael with severe distaste.
"Ask our dad," said Jessica Weasley, a few seats down. "He eats like that, too. Ugh."
Michael swallowed with some difficulty. "It's just easier that way. Every man for himself."
Rachel raised an eyebrow. "The only men I see are the teachers."
"You know what I mean," said Michael, rolling his eyes as if Rachel was just trying to annoy him (which she probably was).
"Liz! Hey—Liz!" called a voice. Liz looked around to see her cousin, Nora Lovegood, approaching her. Nora was a second-year Hufflepuff, and her father was Liz's real mother's brother. Nora had a brother herself, Carl, who was a Ravenclaw fourth-year. Most people, Liz included, thought Nora was slightly dotty.
"Hi, Liz. How was your summer? I read a magazine that my dad threw away for some reason. It was called the Quibbler. It's really fascinating."
It took a minute for Liz to realize which magazine Nora was referring to. "You mean the one our grandfather ran?"
Nora's eyes widened. "He did? Well, he set the foundation for an awesome magazine."
Liz shrugged, as the Quibbler was one of the only things she had never read. "Really," she said, uninterested.
"Yes, really. You should read it sometime." Liz was about to suggest Nora go back to her own table when Nora said, "Well, I better get back to the feast. Bye."
Liz watched her go with raised eyebrows. Rachel wore the same expression. "I've read the Quibbler before. It's absolute rubbish. Last year they had an article about how the Quidditch World Cup a few years ago was cancelled because one of the Seekers lost his dog, so he pretended to have dragon pox. And that was one of the most reasonable articles in there."
"That article was just plain stupid," Michael put in, "because I've read Quidditch Daily...daily for the past five years, and they had pictures of the dragon-shaped bumps all over him. It was positively grotesque."
Liz winced. "Do I really want to hear this?"
"Sure you do," said Michael. He then launched into a long-winded tale about an article in the Quibbler about a C flat and D sharp bells that attacked and ate a family of twenty-six.
It was then time to head upstairs for bed. Jessica Weasley, the fifth-year Gryffindor prefect, led them all the way to the portrait hole, told them the password ("Conjunctivitis"), and let them in.
"I'll be lucky if I ever get in; I can't pronounce Conjinc—Conjunci—Con—" said Michael.
"Conjunctivitis?" Liz said carefully.
"Yeah, that."
Liz made him repeat after her twelve times before he could finally say it. Then she and Rachel took one staircase and Michael took the other up to their respective dormitories. The girls found all their belongings and all their roommates upstairs waiting for them. Bettie leered unpleasantly at Liz before jumping into her bed and thrusting the hangings together.
"When is she going to get over that?" Liz said angrily.
Rachel nodded. "It was...what...two years ago?"
"Yes, but don't forget that McGonagall cancelled the Valentine's Day Dance last year because of what happened in first-year."
"True."
All five Gryffindor third-year girls had to take turns using the shower. Liz ended up last, and Bettie fourth, so that Liz had to wait while Bettie proceeded to take a half-hour-long shower. Rachel was already asleep by the time Bettie emerged from the bathroom, looking smug and very pleased with herself. Liz edged past her into the bathroom and took a long shower, too, though not half as long as Bettie's. She came out, pulled out her wand, and used a quick Drying Spell on her hair so she wouldn't risk a cold. Mrs. Smith had always told her never to go to bed with wet hair; according to her, it was almost guaranteed that she would wake with either a cough or a fever, or both.
Bettie was snoring loudly and sleeping soundly in her bed. Liz climbed into her bed and tried to go to sleep, but she just couldn't. She had too much on her mind, preventing her from getting any rest.
First, there was the Dragon. He had escaped last year while injured and presumably unconscious. He was out there, somewhere, biding his time or planning something else to fulfill his goal, which was to take over Hogwarts.
Then there was her mother. Her real mother. She hadn't written in a while, leading Liz to believe she might have been injured, or worse, dead. If Luna was dead, the Liz would never get to see her, ever.
Besides the subject of David Hannigan, which Liz pushed out of her mind, there were her two new classes, Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes. Liz was worried that the latter would be boring, like History of Magic. Care of Magical Creatures was almost guaranteed to be fun, as Hagrid was teaching it.
Liz rolled over in bed and fell asleep.