Teach Me Something
Disclaimer: see chapter 1
Author's note: Sorry it took so long to get the second chapter out but I've been super busy. Thanks bunches to those who have reviewed. Hope I get some more this time, but hey I'm happy I got reviews. Still don't have a beta though.
Chapter Two: Discoveries
"This is gonna get interesting, very very interesting"
When Dumbledore and Trista finally arrived at the doors to the school they found Carris standing in the entrance hall with an extremely pissed look on her face. "So far this school hasn't impressed me. First the headmaster is late in greeting both my sister and myself, then another staff member, and I'm assuming that snide man is a member of the staff, tries to run me over in his haste to leave this school. This does not bode well for the coming year. Not at all!" And once again Carris stormed off instinctively heading towards the Dungeons with out even knowing it.
"Okay so maybe she is that bad and I, being her younger sister, just never noticed it." Trista offered up with a slight smile on her soft face.
"Like I said before my dear, I've known worse." Dumbledore responded gently. "Now my office is this way, let us proceed there and after you have a house, we'll go look for your sister."
"Alright" Trista responded with a bright smile. "I've just got one question for you headmaster. What exactly is the purpose of these houses?"
The Headmaster paused in his step to glance over at the sixteen year old woman. "Then it is safe to assume that your past school did not have them?"
"Nope, Silent Creek organized people together by school year. That's what houses do I presume, organize the student body?"
"Yes, there are four houses which hold students from all seven years. Anything good you do will earn your house points and accolades while any rule breaking or such will lose points for your house. At the end of the year the house with the most points will win the house cup. That is as they say the long and the short of it. So why don't you tell me more about Silent Creek?"
"Alright well Silent Creek is basically the exact opposite of Hogwarts physically at least. To start off its in the wilds of Montana. To me it seems like nature is taking its revenge for the acts of encroachment every where else. There's no brick or stone. Everything is wood or clay or grass. Its very feminine to me while all this seems very masculine." Trista finished with a sheepish grin on her face.
"It sounds absolutely wonderful, my dear" Dumbledore responded sweetly. "Well here we are" he continued as they arrived at the stone gargoyle. "Pepper Imps" and the stone statue leapt aside revealing the stairway up to the Headmaster's office.
"Wow, I've never seen that before. That was … wow"
"Yes that's what I said myself the first time I saw it too. Well why don't you have a seat and I'll just put this hat on your head and have you sorted!"
As soon as the hat hit her head, it burst to life, contemplating what was within the young woman's head. "Hmm, hmm, harder than Potter was. She's loyal that's obvious and she's hungry. Hungry for power and knowledge. Make a good Slytherin, especially wit that intelligence. She would do well in Slytherin, but there's something pure and good about her. No, not Slytherin, they would destroy the best of her." The hat then grew silent except for a few "hmms" and sighs.
"What's it doing?" Trista asked nervously.
"He's deciding what house you should go into. Don't worry every first year student has to go through the same thing." Dumbledore responded reassuringly.
By this time, the hat had started musing aloud again. "She's not innocent enough for Hufflepuff, not as obsessed with knowledge as Ravenclaw. Hmm. She should be in Gryffendor!" The hat sighed one last time and fell limp on Trista's head.
"Well there you go, my dear. You're now in Gryffendor. A fine house, produces many a great witch and wizard, if I do say so myself." Dumbledore exulted with a wink.
"You were in Gryffendor when you attended Hogwarts?"
"Yes I was my dear and I think you'll fit right in." He reassured, "Now let's get down to the Great Hall to greet the other students."
"Alright sir, but perhaps I should change first into a school uniform?" Trista queried as she gestured to her outfit.
"No you look fine, you'll have an entire year to wear the uniform." And so they set off for the Great Hall once more arm in arm.
While the younger Night sister's social life was being decided, the older one wandered the ancient halls to find her quarters and her new classroom. While exploring she ran into (thankfully not literally) another professor; this professor was more stern, more female, and much older than the last.
"Ah, you must be Miss Night" said the Scottish bray. "I'm Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffendor.
"Great, wonderful, nice to meet you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm rather busy." Carris rudely replied and started to walk-off.
"Miss Night, I don't believe you realize the hierarchical structure of this institution. The younger, less experienced teachers, like yourself, learn and profit from the experience of the older professors, but namely they respect them and their authority without question!" The aged professor reprimanded severely.
"I'm sorry but I don't believe you realize that I DON'T CARE!" and with that she walked briskly away in what she hoped was the right direction. Luckily she was right, not a hundred yards down the corridor, she found the door to her classroom.
Let's hope at least this is decent and with that thought she opened the heavy ebony door. She took a good look around, and surprisingly was happy with what she found. Before her stood a darker room than the rest with stair leading to her office. The desks which sat two students were in three columns and all faced the front of the room where an ornate ebony desk stood with a beautiful tall-backed chair with silvery green upholstery. Also at the front of the classroom was what looked like a blackboard but was in fact a black dry-erase board. Smiling she looked around at the walls every ten feet or so there were bookshelves that went from the cabinets (that ran along the perimeter of the room from floor to waist height) to the ceiling. Where there weren't bookshelves filled with tomes of knowledge, there were priceless muggle paintings by various artists like Dali, Da Vinci, Monet, and O'Keefe.
Quite impressive I must say, now lets see what that office of mine looks like That was if at all possible, more impressive. Every wall in the circular room was lined with even more books. Not just magical books, but muggle ones as well. Her personal favorites were there too. All of Shakespeare's and Allende's and Cormier's and even Tolkein's works were in the shelves for her hungry mind to feast upon whenever she wanted. A sweet smile spread across her face at the thought of the long lazy afternoons and evenings spent relaxing in front of the fire on the piles of fur pillows and blankets that lay there instead of chairs or lounges. The only other items in the room were a desk and chair basically identical to those in the classroom only with two ebony stools with silvery green cushions. Hmm if they didn't mess this up then maybe its not as horrible as I thought
"Hopefully since your taste in décor is much better than previous Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, you'll prove more competent as well" a silky smooth voice said from behind her in the doorway.
"I know I'm at least better th…th…than Lockhart" Carris stuttered as she looked up and right into the deep eyes of Professor Snape.
"And yet you sound like Quirrell."
End chapter 2