Chapter 2
Sibling rivalry
The Great Hall went utterly still with the longest silence Harry had ever experienced. Every head in the Hall turned to look at Malfoy, who was redder than anyone had ever seen him. His face was alive with anger and shock. Both of which he had not expected to feel. He had the look of smugness on his face before, but now he looked as if he would love to fall through the floor into the kitchens and work with the house elves.
"Ms. Malfoy, if you please…." Professor McGonagall said after what seemed like an eternity of waiting.
For, Narcissa had not moved an inch from the moment the old, torn hat had uttered its final word. She then got up, and walked silently to sit next to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Instinctively, they all looked back over to Malfoy to see his reaction to find that his only sister was in Gryffindor House and sitting with his three worst enemies.
"Now then, where was I? McMillon, Tony!"
Professor McGonagall and the Sorting Hat continued with the sorting ceremony, unaltered. When the last person was finally sorted, Professor McGonagall took the old hat and three legged stool back to Dumbledore's office where they were to wait another year before being used again. The Hall went ominously quiet again, but this time with respect for Dumbledore.
"I would first like to welcome you all to a new year at Hogwarts. Second, I would like to congratulate those first years on being successfully sorted into their houses."
"'Successfully'?" Harry, along with everyone else in the vicinity, heard Malfoy mutter to Crabbe and Goyle in a voice not too hushed.
"Is there a problem Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"No, Headmaster, sir." Malfoy responded a little too quickly.
"Very good then. What was I saying…oh, yes. I would then like to announce that the Quidditch team tryouts will be held on the seventh of this month and the captains will be looking for the best players for the positions open."
At this, Dumbledore gave Harry a glittering look. Harry wondered what he meant by it. Dumbledore continued and announced to the first years that the Dark Forest was forbidden, that Hogsmeade was only for third years and up, and that they should all get a good nights rest and enjoy the castle.
At the end of Dumbledore's speech, Hermione grabbed Ron and Narcissa by their arms and lead them away calling to the rest of the first years as she went. Harry knew she was trying to get Narcissa away from here brother as fast as she could.
Harry however took a much slower pace at getting to the Fat Lady's corridor. He was there just in time to remember that he did not know the new password. After a few glares from the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ginny Weasley and Dean Thomas came up behind him.
"The new password is Diricawl, Harry."
"Thanks, Ginny. How are things Dean? How's your mom?" Harry asked timidly. The last time they had talked about Dean's mom, Harry had called her a liar.
"She's fine. How was your summer?" he asked equally timidly. He did not know what had happened down in the Ministry of Magic because Ginny hadn't told him, but he knew something dreadful happened to someone close to Harry.
"It was okay. Full of, you know, the usual." Harry responded. He knew Dean was talking about Sirius. He knew he had heard the rumors going around since last term.
After an awkward silence, Harry gave the new password and they entered the all too familiar Common Room.
Harry woke up the next morning to find that it was brilliantly shiny day. He got up, dressed and headed down the spiral staircase to the Common Room. Only a few people were up and chatting quietly.
Harry headed then to the Great Hall for breakfast. As he entered, he looked up at the more-than-real sky ceiling. It was perfectly blue and cloudless. He made his way to the middle of the table to sit with Dean, Seamus and Neville, all of whom looked extremely tired.
Harry sat down as Neville gave a huge yawn as a sign of hello. He helped himself to a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon along with a hot cup of coffee. Ron and Hermione walked in as Harry was going for his second cup of coffee.
"Gotten our schedules yet?" Hermione asked Harry as she too filled a cup with steaming coffee.
"Not yet. Oh, wait, here comes McGonagall now." Harry said as she sidled down the table handing out schedules.
Harry took his and frowned down at it with Ron. They still had Potions with the Slytherins. They had both passed their O.W.L.s in Potions and needed to take the subject to become Aurors, so they were doomed to live through another year with them.
"At least we gave up Divination. That subject was a load of rubbish." Ron said.
"Well, I heard that the lessons with Firenze were quite interesting." Hermione chipped in as she took her schedule form Professor McGonagall.
"Oh, yeah loads interesting! Hearing about how the human species can't read the stars better than the centaurs! But, yes, loads interesting!" Ron said angrily. They had indeed been told that their species wasn't as good as the pros.
They all finished their breakfast and made their way to their first lesson of the day. Ron, Harry and Hermione tramped across the perfectly emerald grounds to the Greenhouses. When they arrived, they met up with Hannah and Ernie from Hufflepuff house.
Harry, Ron and Hermione saw Draco Malfoy hurrying past the first years, who were headed to flying practice, on his way to the other green houses. He looked as though he had never seen nor cared about his little sister, who was among the group and chatting with a new friend.
Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione to see if they had noticed, too. Turned out they had and he Malfoy was the topic of discussion during the long class period. Today they were pruning Snuggles. A type of plant that curls itself around things and doesn't let go until you wave a sweet smelling flower at it. The sweet smell makes the plant try to stop the smell from spreading.
Harry discussed the fact that Malfoy was not happy with his sister being put in Gryffindor.
Ernie said that he and Hannah had heard that Malfoy tried to get Dumbledore to put the sorting hat back on Narcissa and make it decide to put her in Slytherin because there had to be some mistake.
"And when Dumbledore said that once the hat makes up its mind, the decision is final. I heard he told Malfoy that the hat had seen into her mind and that she did not belong in Slytherin. Then Malfoy turned around and said that he didn't want his sister hanging out with the Gryffindors because they were a bad lot and that he didn't want his sister being in the same house as you, Harry." Ernie finished and fell silent.
"Well, now we know What really upset Malfoy, don't we? Malfoy doesn't want his little sister hanging out with you Harry. She might go nutters." Ron said with a laugh that they all joined in on as the carefully clipped the ends of the Snuggle's vines.
After the Herbology lesson, Harry and Ron had History of Magic, whereas Hermione had Arithmancy. Hermione didn't need to take History of Magic any more, so Harry and Ron were on their own in taking good notes. Hermione laughed that it would be a miracle before they took notes in that class before she headed up the Grand staircase to the Arithmancy tower.
So Harry and Ron were left walking up the stairs to the fourth floor and their boring lesson. Just as they rounded the corner to the fourth floor, they caught sight of Malfoy yelling at his sister.
"Why are you in Gryffindor? Don't you have any Malfoy blood in you? Don't you know that there hasn't been a Malfoy who wasn't in Slytherin ever?"
"It's not my fault! I heard the hat in my head and it was saying that I was very brave and had a good heart. I thought to the hat, but I'm a Malfoy! I'm supposed to be in Slyhterin! And the hat asked me if I wanted to be in Slytherin, and I thought…I thought…." She stammered.
"Yes? What did you think?"
"I-I-I thought, No! Not if my brother is going to be as mean to me here than as he is at home!" With that, she broke out in tears and ran down the Grand staircase and into the Entrance Hall.
Malfoy just stood there in disbelief. After a few minutes of blank starring, he turned and stomped up the stairs in a wild fit of furry.
