The group practically toppled down from the coach craning their necks to take in the stone giant engulfing the night sky above them.
"Wow," Mali and Ashley chorused.
"Jeez, what's the big deal?" Sam asked, pushing past them. Mali and Fergy stared up with their mouths wide open.
"The big deal!" Ashley exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the castle."Uh!" Sam said, rolling her eyes at her two friends, then making her way inside.
The Entrance Hall was dimly lit with the traditional floating candles. The massive amount of students slowly but surely shuffled into the Great Hall, taking their places at the four house tables. Mali, Ashley and Sam, of course, were left standing. Sam seemed ok about it, but Mali and Ashley looked nervous as ever. Harry wondered why they didn't just sit down.
"Follow me," Sam whispered to them, loud enough for Harry to hear. They followed her up the middle of the room, past many staring faces. Harry felt slightly sorry for them, having known how it feels. Sam walked right up to the staff tables, straight up to Dumbledore, and put on a cutesy little smile. Meanwhile, all of the tables became silent at the sight of the three newcomers, as the first years entered the hall.
Harry could hear every word being said in the eerie quiet of the room.
"Hey grandpa!" Sam said, tilting her head and batting her eyelashes, but seeing the inquisitive looks of the other teachers, corrected herself. "I mean…. Good evening Professor Dumbledore."
"Ah yes, I was expecting to see you here. But who may I ask are you're friends?" Dumbledore said, gesturing towards the two others with a slight wave of his hand. Mali and Ashley were dumbstruck, so Sam said, "this is Ashley Ferguson and Mali Lauron."
"Let us proceed, then. Will you please wait until the sorting is completed? I need to make some announcements and then I will see to it that we straighten things out."
The three girls looked for a place to sit, but found no available spaces. Instead, they dropped to the floor in front of the staff table and crossed their legs, looking up at the unfamiliar faces.
The first years stood in the middle of the hall, awaiting their fate. As always, Harry saw a few of them turning pale and quivering from nerves. Professor McGonagall brought out the three-legged stool and placed it on the floor where the noise echoed loudly. She then perched the old and wise hat on it so that it faced both the house tables and the children yet to be sorted. Harry watched as it opened its slit of a mouth, and broke into song:
For many years I have been held
In quite a high esteem,
I choose where you will end up,
Where your minds change, this I've seen.
The founders four, have given me
A mind to what I tell
Who is right for learning
Potion, history and spell.
Ravenclaw, the sharpest wit,
Was smart and honored true,
And Hufflepuff, that charmer,
Showed friendship through and through.
Gryffindor, the bravest yet,
Had a heart made out of steel,
But Slytherin, a crafty snake,
Decided to break their deal.
He left our school, no backward glance,
Never to return,
The other three held the bonds tight,
And let his memory burn.
Thusly, now we still hold strong,
Our castle which still stands,
The minds we shape here brilliant,
And soon will rule these lands.
I must break up this young new year,
Even against all thought,
But in the end, you will see,
This division will be fought.
For after we have come to find,
The differences not so great,
Four houses will mold into one,
And love will we create.
Eruptions of applause rang throughout the halls, as the hat ended its' song. Harry glanced up at the house tables, seeing no new teacher to fill the position of Defense against the Dark Arts. Maybe he was just late, like Moody was when he taught here. The fake Moody. He now looked at the three figures on the floor, barely seen between the first years' legs. Mali and Fergs had now become bored with the commotion and were playing a game of Muggle cards. Sam, though she came here every summer, seemed to be like Hermione, soaking up everything that was going on.
Professor McGonagall had just lifted the sorting hat off the stool, and read aloud from her list of students, "Applebom, Mary."
A little blonde girl in pigtails jumped and then jittering made her way up to the stool. The hat was placed on her head, and after a few moments of silence, it shouted, "RAVENCLAW!"
She hopped down from the stool so fast she almost knocked it over, but grabbed it quickly and blushed, taking the hat off her head and running, almost sprinting to her table.
"Brentwood, Max!"
The palest boy in the vicinity walked up to the stool, casting nervous glances around at his peers, and sat down. After about fifteen seconds of which the boy was shaking, the hat cried out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Upon hearing the shout, the boy jumped in his seat and fell backwards off the stool amidst gales of laughter, mostly from the Slytherin table.
As the sorting continued, Harry, Ron, and Hermione began conversation.
"Where d'you suppose the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is?" Hermione asked, looking back towards the doors into the Entrance Hall.
"I don't know," Harry admitted. "Maybe he's just running late."
"Maybe we won't have one!" Ron said hopefully.
"Perhaps one of the other teachers is taking over the post," Hermione suggested.
"Who knows," Harry said.
They didn't pay much attention to the sorting until they heard a familiar name being called.
"Ferguson, Paige!" Professor McGonagall announced, and they watched as the youngest Ferguson approached the stool. She sat still for a minute. Two minutes. The hat seemed to take forever to decide, until it opened its mouth and yelled to the hall.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
She took the hat off and ran full out to her seat at the Gryffindor table, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione congratulated her, and Harry saw Fergy give her sister the thumbs up.
The rest of the sorting passed in a haze to the three, immersed in conversation about the Defense teacher and what they were going to have for dinner. They only stopped when Hermione began nudging them.
"I'm gonna starve if they don't start serving, what, Hermione?" Ron said.
"Look, I think it must be time for the girls to get sorted!" Hermione said, pointing.
A boy named Brandon Yalt had just been sorted into Slytherin and was looking smugly happy about it. Fergy, Mali, and Sam rose and walked over to the stool the sorting hat was perched upon, casting furtive glances up at Dumbledore.
Professor Dumbledore stood up to begin his usual start of the year announcements as Professor McGonagall took the stool and sorting hat away. Harry saw Mali and Ashley looked at each other, obviously confused.
"Why aren't we getting sorted?" Harry heard Mali ask Sam.
"Harry saw Sam whisper something to Mali. He then heard her hiss "Now be quiet!"
Mali and Fergy began a quiet, yet seemingly important conversation, peeking at Sam every couple of seconds.
Professor Dumbledore smiled and then spoke.
"First years please note that the forbidden forest, and the village of Hogsmeade are off limits, and the same to anyone under third year, you shouldn't be venturing off the grounds in any case. Next I would like to remind you that ice skating on the lake during the winter months is prohibited, due to some nasty accidents involving our giant squid and some missing students. Finally I regret to announce that our new defense against the dark arts teacher will not be arriving until our first day of classes. On that note, let the feast begin!"
Meats, vegetables, and fruits of every color, shape, and size appeared and the ravenous students immediately grabbed for it.
"Alright now I'm confused!" Harry heard Sam exclaim, as everyone seemed to forget them in the feeding frenzy.
"Oh forget this!" Fergy shouted. "I'm starving!"
She ran over to the Gryffindor table, and had begun eating before she sat down. Mali followed suit, although somewhat reluctantly. Sam however remained defiantly standing where she was.
The plates seemed to be cleared quicker than usual, probably because of the addition of two extremely hungry students.
Professor Dumbledore bid the Great Hall goodnight, but rushed to pull the girls aside, afraid, by the looks of it, that Mali and Ashley would waltz into any dormitory they could find. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hung back amongst the throng of students trying to hear what was to become of their new friends.
"I shall need to talk to you in my office," Professor Dumbledore said, looking around at the staff table.
Harry saw Ashley talking to her sister, and not soon after, Paige had walked off with the rest of the Gryffindor first years.
"Man, now we can't hear what he's going to do with them," Ron said, a look of mourning on his face. Dumbledore, who was now walking past them, stopped to look at Harry, and said, "Yes, you three had better come too."
"Yes!" whispered Ron.
They marched silently behind Dumbledore, being talked about and pointed at by the students lingering in the hallways. He led them, swiftly, through secret passages and back stairwells until they came to the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster's office.
"Skittles," Dumbledore said, stopping in front of the passage.
"What the bloody hell are skittles?" Ron whispered to Harry.
"They are a rather tasty muggle candy, which I came across last month on my vacation, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, entering the swirling staircase. Ron looked at Harry, his eyebrows nearly touching in his shock.
The exhausted group of sixth years stood as the staircase made its' way up to the oak door, too tired to climb even a bit. By the time they got through the door, professor Dumbledore was already seated behind his desk. It and all the other tables in the room were covered with the usual assortment of spinning, whirring, and clinking objects. Professor Dumbledore conjured up six extra chairs and gestured for them to sit.
"Firstly, I bet you are wondering why I have brought you three here," he said, eyeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione. No one spoke so Dumbledore continued. "I would like you three to assist whichever of these girls may be placed in your house, which I am sure will be at least one of them. You will help them in both lessons and homework, because I have not been informed from their previous schools what they have and haven't learned so far. So I would much appreciate if you could review your past few years' worth of knowledge with them."
"We'd be happy to help, but Professor, what is it we have to teach them? It would take far too long to go over every little detail," Hermione said.
"For now, just go over the basic spells you think they will need. I trust you will be a great teacher, Miss Granger."
Hermione blushed and tried not to smile too much in her satisfaction.
"Where are we going to stay for tonight, though?" Mali asked sleepily.
"We have two available beds in both Gryffindor and Slytherin, and one in both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff," Dumbledore answered. "I shall make sure the staff move them if need be."
"Well, let's get this over with, I'm tired," Mali said yawning.
Professor Dumbledore rose from his chair and went to one of his many shelves, taking the sorting hat down from the top, which must have appeared there only moments before. He placed the hat firstly on Mali, who was slowly falling asleep in her chair. After about two minutes of which she was sliding down the seat, the hat had an answer.
"GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted, and Mali practically fell to the floor in surprise. Now totally awake, she made a fist and jerked her elbow back while breathing out a "yes!"
Dumbledore then placed the hat over Sam's long blond hair, and it almost instantly shouted "RAVENCLAW!"
"Very good, you know. I was in the same house when I was your age," Professor
Dumbledore said smiling at his granddaughter.
"It must run in the family," she said grinning back at him.
Last but not least, Dumbledore picked up the old sorting hat and put it on Ashley's head where she sat quite still for a moment. Everyone watched and waited until it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" to the silent room.
"Oh, but grandfather, now I won't be able to see my friends!" Sam said sadly with a puppy dog look on her face.
Harry was somewhat reminded of Dudley in his early years.
Giving in, Dumbledore said, "I will allow you to visit the Gryffindor common room under one condition. You must return to your own dormitory by midnight, or you shall face the consequences. Is that understood?"
"Yes sir," Sam replied.
"Now, off to bed with you," Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together and smiling.
He waved Mali over and said something quietly to her so the others couldn't hear. Mali grinned and nodded, walking back to join the group.
"You should have a good night sleep for your first full day at Hogwarts."
Mali checked her watch as they descended the stairs. "It's only ten o'clock!"
"I can see you're awake again," Sam said.
"We've got three hours 'til you're expected back, so let's go kick it and have us some fun," Fergy said smiling mischievously.
"But we don't have our stuff!" Mali said. "Do you think they've brought them to our new houses yet?"
"If they haven't they'll get there before we do. Now come on, let's go check."
"We can't," Harry said, "we don't have the password."
"Then let's go back and ask P. Diddy." Ashley said.
"Who?" The others chorused.
"That's what I'm gonna call Dumbledore from now on. Easier to remember."
"Whatever," Mali said, giggling at her.
They tuned back to the stone gargoyle.
"What was that password again?" Hermione asked.
"Some stupid muggle thing," Ron said.
"They're not stupid, Skittles are awesome and you're insulting muggles!" Ashley said.
"Well I don't know, I've never had them, and who cares."
"Don't dis' things you don't know about!"
Just as Ron and Fergy were seemingly getting into a very stupid argument, the least wanted teacher strode over to them with a satisfying grin on his face.
"Oh great, the slimy git has already found his way straight to you, Harry," Ron whispered, seeing Snape approached them.
"What are all of you doing out of your dormitories at this time of night? Surely, I'll have to deduct points unless you have a reasonable explanation, which I'm sure you don't," Snape said in one breath, sneering evilly around.
"We were just going back up to have a chat with old P. Diddy, maybe he could explain to you what were doing. 'Cuz you obviously aren't going to believe us," Fergy said, crossing her arms.
"That's a good idea, except I will be speaking to the Headmaster and not some…P. Diddly" about your… behavior."
"You do that," Mali said.
Snape led the way back towards the gargoyle, and before he opened his mouth, Ron said,
"Skittles," and the passageway opened.
Snape goggled for a moment, and then put his evil grin back on his face.
"Very well, I see you have already spoken to the headmaster. No doubt it wasn't a cheery visit," Snape said, regaining his composure.
They reached the top of the staircase, again, and Snape knocked harshly on the oak door.
"Yes?" Dumbledore asked, opening the door, already wearing his nightclothes.
"Sorry to bother you headmaster, but these children were - "
"They were here to see me Severus," Dumbledore cut in. "I needed to speak with them before they went to bed. Surely, this is not a problem?"
Snape cast his eyes downward for a split second, then his eyes shot back up at Dumbledore. Mali grabbed at the opportunity.
"Professor, sir, we were wondering if our things had been taken to our dormitories, and how to get to our dormitories, and if you had the passwords." She said all this very quickly, her eyes full of curiosity.
"Oh yes, my old age is showing more than ever. I completely forgot to give you some much needed information," Dumbledore said smiling. "The Ravenclaw dormitory is up on the 6th floor, down the fourth corridor on your left. The tower is behind the statue of a stocky witch, and the password is Dultice. Harry, Ron, and Hermione can show the rest of you to the Gryffindor common room. And the password is Groklizite."
"Thank you Professor," Sam said, still being formal.
Snape just stood there, unhappy by the lack of trouble these students were in.
"If I may, headmaster, I am rather tired," and he turned, his hand on the doorknob.
"Wait a moment, Severus, I would like you to escort these students to the Gryffindor dormitory, and I have already granted my granddaughter, Samantha, the privilege of staying in Gryffindor tower until midnight each night."
"Yes, Headmaster," Snape muttered, sweeping out the door quickly, the others hurrying to keep up.
"Thanks," they all said as they whisked out of his room.
Snape seemed to feel no desire to waste more than enough sleep, so he strode as fast as he could without running, causing the others to have to jog to keep up.
Once outside the Gryffindor common room, Snape stopped for a second, waved his arm at the fat lady, and strode off again. The group stood staring at him for a few seconds before they walked into the common room and plopped down in the worn-out chairs by the fire.
"Man, can you get any worse?" Fergy asked.
"Dunno, maybe a troll, but it'd have to be a terribly vicious one," Ron said, trying to get back on Fergy's good side.
"Well, it's only 10:20, so what do you wanna do?" Sam asked.
Mali jumps to feet as though struck by sudden inspiration. "Telescopes!"
Fergy looked at her questionably and had a sudden look of dawning comprehension. "Ooh" she said, grinning. "Do we really have the time?"
"Yes! We've always got time! Let's go! Let's go!" Mali said.
They ran up to their dormitory where their bags must have been. Harry saw them come back down a second later.
"I really don't think…" Sam began.
"Fergy cut her off, saying "hey, you've got till twelve, but we've got all night."
Ron, Harry, and Hermione stood watching as Fergy and Mali began bouncing off the walls with excitement. "You guys coming?" Mali asked.
"Sure," Ron said, casting a furtive look over the ecstatic girls.
"Let me get my cloak," Harry said.
"Hurry!" Fergy said.
Harry shook his head slightly and let out a huff of laughter as he went up to the dormitory. He saw that there was an extra bed in the corner, and went over to his own. He opened his trunk and pulled out his invisibility cloak. He walked back down the steps, feeling that tonight might be more trouble than he hoped.
The group headed back out the portrait, lucky to find the fat lady half asleep. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sam were able to fit under the cloak, but Mali and Fergy were left standing.
"What are you guys going to do about being seen?" Hermione asked
"No problem," Fergy said.
They both pulled out their wands from their bags and tapped each other on the head, their eyes closed in concentration. They shivered as though ice were being poured down their backs. They both started to fade away until they blended into the walls behind them.
"What'd you do?" Ron asked in awe.
"Disillusionment charm," said a piece of wall in front of them that sounded like Mali.
"Hey I remember that," Harry said from under the cloak. He wondered how many other difficult spells they had mastered.
"Come on," Hermione said, nudging Harry under the cloak.
"Okay, okay," Harry replied, moving toward the staircase.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had never been out of their dormitory on the first night back to Hogwarts, and Harry was astounded to see no teachers walking the corridors.
"It's a bit creepy, isn't it?" Fergy whispered from somewhere next to them.
"Yeah," Harry muttered.
Once they had crept all the way down to the castle steps that led out into the night, Mali exclaimed, "wait!" in a loud, panting whisper.
"What?" Ron asked, stopping right in front of Fergy who, not seeing him because he was under the cloak, toppled over him in the darkness. It was most likely strange, thought Harry, if someone were to come down the main steps right now. They would hear but not see the quiet brawl to untangle each other from Harry's cloak, while Ron, Harry, Sam, and Hermione still tried to remain covered.
"Mali!" Fergy said accusingly. They no longer seemed to care to keep their voices down.
"Hey, I dropped something, and I didn't know how far ahead of me you were!" Mali said, exasperatedly.
Once everyone had sorted themselves out and Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Sam were back under the cloak, they headed straight for the front doors. Harry opened one as silently as possible, and they walked out into the cool night air. But before Harry could take another step, he saw something that made his heart stop.