Swept Into The Wind
By chocolateswirl88
Chapter Fourteen: Sorting Hat Chat and Check Mate!
The smirk never left her face as Riley made her way through the tables towards the professors table. Near them, stood the old and worn sorting hat, waiting for its last student the place into their respected houses. She had no clue on what was about the happen, but was looking forward to whatever chaos that would ensure because of it.
She looked up to see the teachers eyeing her with amused looks on their faces. When she first had met McGonagal, the woman had been uptight, but now, now she bore the same grin as Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid and the rest of the staff. It made her feel rather apretiated for her antics, but that could change throughout the year.
McGonagal nodded to the stool as Riley aproached her. So she sat, clasped her hands and twiddled her thumbs, earning a few chuckles from the student body that watched her every move. The had was placed apon her head, which drooped over her eyes. Riley quirked an eyebrow.
"Ahh, you deffinatly are a unique one, Riley." The hat murmered into her ear. "So powerfull, so very powerfull. Smart, wicked, witty, understandable, courageous, brave…all the elements of each house. You are quite the difficult one."
"Any worse than Harry Potter?" Riley asked, unaware of the confused faces that went on about her. Near by, Harry watched with a supressed grin. She was having a conversation with the sorting hat, just like he had at the end of 5th year. Now everyone would think she was loonier than Luna Lovegood.
"Aye, much more difficult. It would have suited him better to be in Slytherin, but would not take my advice. You, however, would do marvelous in Slytherin. Yes….absolutely marvelous…" There was a moments pause and Riley couldn't hear a single thing. Untill the hat took a deep breath and yelled "SLYTHERIN!". McGonagal took the hat off her head with a raised eyebrow. Riley spotted Draco instantly and made towards him, already her school year began on a strange chord. She grinned over at Harry and Nevile as they sat. Surprisingly, they gave her a thumbs up.
"That was interesting." Draco commented. "Never in my wildest dreams would I picture you chatting with the sorting hat." Riley winked. "Everyone is going to think there's something missing in your brain."
"Harry thought I was crazy the moment I met him. Don't worry, I give that impression to everybody." Draco laughed as quietly as he could while Dumbledore gave his speech. Instantly, the tables filled with food. Riley looked around and filled her plate with what seemed to be a little bit of everything.
"Hungry?"
"Starved. My little firework took bloody forever to complete. Remus Lupin wouldn't leave me alone to fend for myself. I was nearly 3 minutes late."
"But a mighty pink entrance." He ducked just in time to miss Riley's fist. "Face it, it WAS pink AND glittery." Riley sighed.
"There was no time to add the butterflies." A giggle from her right shoulder gained her attention. "There you are Norman, I thought the hat swallowed you up." The small winged creature shook his little head. "Then where'd you flutter off too?"
"That huge giant of an oaf Hagrid was trying to catch me. I had to hide myself in Dumbledore's beard to escape. And let me tell you, that man has lost more things in his own hair than I have in my cubby." The Slytherins around them burst out laughing, some wiping tears away from their eyes.
"That's got the be the most hilarious thing I've heard all day!" A tall brunette boy said, grinning from ear to ear. He held out his hand to Riley. "Welcome to Slytherin, I'm Johnbodiah Ivelly, 7th year." Riley shook his hand, nodding.
"Riley, Riley Thomas." Her french accent becoming thicker as she spoke her last name. "Currently 6th year, I suppose. I could have graduated. But because my other school is faster than your own, I have to jump back two levels so to speak." Johnbodiah grinned, nodding his head. "Anyway, I seem to have an audience." Riley nodded to the other tables, people were looking at her constantly. But the looks came from more of the male race than the female.
"You're so irresistable." Draco hugged her gently, either that, or they're jealous of this vibrant white hair of yours." He tugged at a lock lightly.
"It's a wonder how I ended up with white hair." Riley mused, rubbing her chin, her eyes lost in thought. "Dad has light brown hair, and mom had black hair. It's either I was switched at birth, which is very unlikely, mind you, or something went haywire with their genetics." She became silent, eyes closing for a few moments. "Maybe I ought to get a muggle DNA test to see if there were some chromosomes that decided to rebel. I'm deffinatly affected." Riley peered over to the Gryffindor table. Harry and Nevile managed to switch sides so they could get a clear view of Riley, in case their eyes met and they could mouth words to each other. She winked. They smiled and waved.
The feast continued for what seemed a rather long time, then Dumbledore finally dismissed the school. Riley stood and followed Draco and Johnbodiah to the Slytherin common room, making at least 3 dozen mental notes about the things she passed. Already she came in with a showdown with the poltgiest Peeves, AND the suit of armor that decided it wanted to chase students. Not to mention the paining that liked to pick fights.
Moments later, she stood in front of a large painting that was pretty much decked in all green and silver, of a dark, forbigging looking man with a gotee on it. He looked over the students carefully, his eyes lingering on Riley.
"White hair, Miss?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep." She retorted, already annoyed with the painting tonighte.
"Ive never seen such hair color in Slytherin before, what is your name Miss?"
"Riley." She knew she sounded skeptical, but she couldn't care less. "I don't disclose my last name to paintings." Draco and Johnbodiah snorted, covering up their mouths in attempts to muffle their laughter. Draco cleared his throat.
"Snakes, Salazarr, we'd like to go to bed." The painting nodded his head and swung forward.
"You'll be a good addition to the Slytherin house, Miss. Riley. White hair and all." Riley raised an eyebrow as she was ushered through the hole in the hall and came to stand in the middle of the common room.
"Where's Pansy? She's supposed to show you where your room is." Draco muttered, looking around the firelit room. The theme was green, silver and black. Black leather chairs and sofas, green and silver wallpapering, silver candle sticks, deep mohogany for the tables and chairs. "Blast that horse, Pansy! Where the bloody hell are you!"
With neither eyebrows raised, Riley scanned the room. She wasn't exactly impressed, considering the letter Severus Snape sent her durring the summer at some estranged point. All the Heads of Houses sent her letters with their description of each house, warning her ahead of time. Then suddnely, she felt a light amount of pressure placed on her hip. Out of impulse, her leg came straight out and kicked the harasser.
There was a loud thump and a loud groan of pain. Riley looked down to find Johnbodiah nursing his newly bruised side. She snorted and raised an eyebrow, offering a hand to help him up.
"Kindly keep all body parts off of my hips, groin, breasts, and arse, Ivelly." She ruffled his hair. "There is NO WAY in the name of Salazar Slytherin are you getting anything that no other guy has gotten from me." The brunette looked up at her.
"What? You've got a boyfriend or something?" Draco and Riley exchanged amused glances before she turned her attention to the boy.
"Oliver Wood wouldn't like it that his property is being groped by a Slytherin." Draco sighed (boredly too I might add). "Trust me. Been there, done that. You know, that whole chest-I mean, chessnut". Riley snorted before fumbling into wild laughter, clutching her stomach with tears rolling down her face. It took some time for her to finally regain control over herself, and found the boys engaged in a short chessmatch against one another. She strode over and smacked Draco across the back of the head. The impact of head to skull echoed throughout the Slytherin house, bringing many students down from their dormitories to see what the comotion was about.
"Refer to my chest again, and you'll find yourself with one identical." She smirked, watching as a blonde descended the stairwell with an ugly smile on her face. "And missing a certain weight that I seem to lack between my thighs. You've received your warning-Pansy! Could you kindly show me to my room?"
Johnbodiah waited untill Riley was assumingly out of earshot before he looked back at Draco.
"She has a spell that can do that?" His voice was quiet, in case she never fully left the room. Draco gave the boy a sympathetic look.
"That girl has a spell for everything I'm afraid…." He looked at the chess board. "Check Mate!"
