Chapter 13
Was the Hat Wrong?
Ron and Hermione quarreled for a long time. I stood before the open window and bathed in the cool wind. The droplets of rain fell to my face and cooled me down from Ron's stupidity. My head was full of thoughts, but it turned into mud that I couldn't distinguish one from the other.
I could feel someone looking my way. I turned my head to the left where a bunch of first years stared at me and at the door of my compartment. I guess they saw the expose that took place just moments earlier. Some of them whispered to one another and others laughed their heads off.
"Are you ok?" I heard Harry's voice. I turned to face him. His face was back to normal. His eyes were still a little red, and he was rubbing his scar squinting at times from pain.
"I should be asking you that. What's up? Is something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing. It's just my stupid scar. When Voldemort is angry, or happy, or near it hurts." On the mention of Voldemort the kids looking at us took a deep breath and held it for a long time. Harry looked at them and shook his head.
"They should get used to his name by now. If we don't say it, it doesn't mean his not around. He is! If we keep it to our selves then it makes the fear much stronger." Harry told me. His voice was quiet and delicate. He seemed to be like a little child that was lost in the great unknown of the big world.
"Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I died as a baby. I wonder what the magical world would have turned to. Would everything be destroyed or would there been someone that could kill him? Even Dumbledore can't kill him. It's impossible. They all thing that I will destroy him, but will I? If I will then my life is short, as I have to die to his wand as he to mine."
"That's an optimistic attitude. You have friends that will help you on the way. He has only followers that do not wish to die. Do you think they'll protect him seeing that he's on the verge of dying? I think there is a slight chance of it. On the other hand you have friends that will do anything for you, even die."
"You would do it?"
"Of course I will! I would come out of my grave to protect you from him. I would die for you, Hermione, Ginny, and even Ron."
"What's the deal between you and Ron anyways?"
"It's a long story."
"We have a long way to go."
"I don't want to talk about it." I walked back to the compartment that smelled of garlic, onions, and spoiled eggs and fell to my seat. Holding my legs closer to myself, I was once again absorbed in my own thoughts and ignored everyone around me.
I didn't go back to my senses until Hermione shook me out of my dream world to get dressed. It was dark by then. Everyone was already dressed in their Hogwarts robes. I rushed to my bag.
"Oh wait, my things are in school already. What should I do?"
"Just go in with what you're wearing now. There's little you could do." Hermione answered as the brakes of the train squealed into the night.
We stepped out into the cold air shivering from head to toe. Ron was speaking to neither Hermione nor me. Harry stood by him and explained that we were only trying to bring him good, but he only managed to agitate Ron even further. Hermione led me to a carriage that was tied to a bony black horse. It had white eyes that looked my way. I was so scared of them that I jumped into the carriage to not see them.
"What's up?"
"Why do you have such horrible creatures pulling the sled?"
"Oh you can see them too?"
"What do you mean too? Can't you see them?"
"Nope."
"Well why not?"
"Don't you know what they are?" Hermione asked me very surprised. I shook my head, and she gave out a great sigh. "I guess you're like Ron and Harry. Do you even read on your own?"
"Of course I do!" I protested.
"Ok, sorry! They are called thestrals. You can only see them if you saw someone else die."
"Who died?" Harry asked settling by Hermione.
"No one died." She rolled her eyes. She tried to say something, but her lips didn't move.
"What's wrong?"
"Harry I can't say her name!" She whispered.
"That's ok," I told them, "Dumbledore placed a silencing charm on you. You can only use Natalie. He doesn't want to make others suspicious of me. You, Hermione, could have given me away!" I added angrily.
"Sorry, well Natalie said she could see the thestrals."
"Really?" Harry's eyes enlarged. "Who did you see die?"
"My dad," I answered plainly. My thoughts went back to the rainy day when I last saw him.
"My mum and I were home alone." I began telling them. "He was supposed to come in an hour for dinner. He called in that he was going to be late because the workers at his job needed him for something. He was a Healer, and a very good one, too. Mum was kind of upset, because it was his birthday and some people were suppose to come.
We continued making dinner like we were before the call. It was raining very hard outside, so we knew people were going to apparate to our house, so we were not surprised to hear loud cracks somewhere within the house. Such a crack followed after sometime passed from dad's call. He appeared before us himself and urged us to pack the most necessary things and get out. He was scared. It was the first time I saw him that way.
Mum rushed to her room to get the things ready when a Death Eater appeared before dad. I screamed and mum rushed down to help, but she was late because dad didn't know what even hit him. The green light pierced his body and he fell to the floor. I ran out of the kitchen but tripped on the carpet. He didn't want to kill me. He just walked on to me and stretched his hands, as if to hold me. Mum got into the room at that moment and killed him. I never saw her so angry before. Her eyes were like two flames. She reached for me and apparated me to Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts.
She explained everything to him, and he told us that there's a house in the muggle community where we could take shelter. That's how I came to live here." I finished. They looked at me with amazement. The sled was already by the entrance to the school, and we departed.
"That's crazy!" Harry began angrily. "Why does he need you anyways?"
"Who knows? He's complicated. You never know what will come his way."
"But why?"
"Miss Weasley!" I heard behind me. I turned around to see Professor Snape coming my way. " You are to be sorted after all the first years. It is the headmaster's wish that you accompany me to the staff table, as you have to wait out a long line of children that will come before you. Please follow me." He turned on his heels and walked away from us. I looked at the trio that stood before me and followed Snape.
He walked quite fast, and I almost had to run to keep up. He came to a large door that slid open on it's own and walked me through. I found myself before a table of teachers that chattered among themselves. Snape motioned me to sit by Professor Dumbledore until the time was right. As I walked down to the red chair where he sat, the students curiously looked my way.
"Hello Miss Weasley. How was your trip?" The headmaster asked me joyfully.
"Fine, thank you." Professor Lupin sat by Snape and a chubby lady with curly gray hair. They were engaged in a conversation, and he seemed quite over his little mood swing that took place this morning. I really wanted to talk to him, but he didn't even look my way.
The doors to the Great Hall opened and Professor McGonagall walked in with a bunch of first years that looked about the hall. I heard many "wows" as they looked at the ceiling that looked like the night sky. However, it was hard to see any stars, as the sky was covered by gray clouds from which the rain fell and disappeared before reaching anyone's head.
"Before we begin, Professor Dumbledore has some first term announcements to make." Professor McGonagall said. Professor Dumbledore rose from his red chair and looked into the hall.
"I welcome you all to another wonderful year at Hogwarts. I, like many others, wished for this day to come from the last day of last year. First years I would like to inform you that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all Hogwarts students." His look stopped on Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Further more, we have a new student that will join the seven years. She comes from Dumstrang, and I hope you'll make her stay here much easier. Before the feast we would sort the first years into their houses to be welcomed by their classmates."
"Now when I call your name, you'll come forth and I'll place this Sorting Hat on your head." She pointed her hand to an old hat that lay on a wooden stool. All of a sudden it began to move, and a raspy voice escaped what seemed like its mouth.
Another year at Hogwarts
The older once will see,
But it is better to allow
The new blood to flow free.
I would like to introduce
The houses of the school.
In which the old once settles
Along with the new.
The first one I will bring to you
The sly and cunning lot
The once that are the cleverest
Out of the four we got.
They call themselves as Slytherin
And surely the name fits
They are the once dressed in bright green
At the furthest left.
The Hufflepuff are the sweet bunch
That care for all the others
They are not thought as very great
But kindness is their power
The once that fall under their name
Have purest hearts desire
And I will gladly reward them
With Hufflepuff attire.
The Ravenclaw will teach the once
Whose intelligence is surest.
The once with the sharpest mind
And knowledge of the wisest.
They quietly sit besides the pure
With all their classmates thinking.
They probably are planning to
Visit the library's linking.
And finally I bring to you
The bravest of the lot
The once that'll safe the weakest
With last breath they've got.
I introduce to you the Griffindor
Placed in the middle right
The once that have the colors of the sun
Of yellow and bright red.
I lived for many years and saw
The fighting of you four
And wish no more to see such scenes
Knocking on my door
Remember that if you unite
Your powers will surly glow
And the stronger your friendship is
The mightier you'll grow.
Now take a sit on this old stool
And put me on to see
Where you belong to be put
I'll surly know where you'll be.
The hat fell into silence and Professor McGonagall began calling names. There were many that passed.
"Arabelle Anoves" A skinny girl with short blond hair walked up to the stool and placed the hat on her head. It wasn't long before it responded.
"RAVENCLAW!" The Ravenclaw table began to cheer for their new smart friend.
"John Ballwin"
"HUFFLEPUFF!
"Julia Coleman"
"SLYTHERIN!"
Finally the first years were seated at their table and they called me to the chair. I slowly proceeded to the stool and the hat was placed to my head.
"Ah you are here at last! I waited a long time to see where you ought to be. I have to tell you that you're father's roots are stronger then what your mother left."
"What do you mean?"
"Your transformation might fool the once around you, but I see everything that hides within your head. Everything you know and everything you don't know."
"What don't I know?"
"Ah that's not for me to tell. I see you want to be with your friends. A nice bunch they are. They are brave and strong, and so are you."
"So do you mean I'll be place to Griffindor?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Why not?"
"Because you will be an outsider there. You'll feel the same way as when you go about with Ron Weasley and his sister. They are true Griffindores, as for Harry and Hermione they have other roots placed into them. Harry Potter has a bit of Slytherin in him, and Miss Granger has a sharp mind like Ravenclaw. You my dear have a strong mix of all three houses. You are a Ravenclaw, a Griffindor, and a Slytherin. I'm afraid you are more of Slytherin then any."
"You wrong!" I thought with panic. "You wrong! I have nothing of this sort in me!"
"SLYTHERIN!" My heart began pounding faster, and my eyes fell on to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. All of them sat there dumbfounded. Their mouths were open, and they stared at me greatly surprised. There were no cheers from the Slytherin. As I walked up to my table I heard different remarks.
"A Weasley in Slytherin? What disgrace!"
I passed Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. They studied me carefully. Draco smirked as I proceeded. His eyes glittered, but I decided not to look at him. Quickly passing them, I settled at the end of the table away from everyone. Taking a glance at Dumbledore, I knew that he have known long time ago where I'll be.
A/N
Well I thought long and hard of where to sort her into and decided that Slytherin is the best place to put her in. I'm not sure how it will turn out, but I'm hopping it will be in a positive way. Can you imagine what Ron will think of her now?
Well, I've got more things coming.
hunni07: I'm wondering what was confusing about the previous chapter. Was it how she went back from the train to the kitchen and so one? Well, if you might tell me! LOL
Cheers to all!