Chapter 5: A Healthy Appetite
As the students entered the Great Hall for supper, Ron brought up a point for all of them to consider. "Alexis," he said, "how do you know what house you're in? Don't you need to be sorted?" They all turned to her, waiting for a reply.
"A few weeks ago, the headmaster guy sent me a letter. He said that it was OK for me to choose which house I wanted to be in. I could ask around and just join the house with friends in it. He said it would be easier for me to, you know, fit in or something." She grinned at them. "So, where do you guys sit?" At this Hermione rushed off towards the Gryffindor table, leaving the rest of them behind. Harry felt a wave of confusion and anger at her rudeness, which was obviously directed towards Alexis.
As they were sitting down, Ron grabbed the seat to the right of the one Alexis had chosen while Harry tried to hold in laughter, and Hermione glowered at her feet. Harry took the seat across from Ron, next to Hermione, waiting for the sorting to begin so that they could start on their meal.
The seats around them were quickly filled up with fellow Gryffindors. Ginny grabbed the seat next to Hermione and immediately began gibbering about how she would be taking the O.W.L.s this year and how she really wished she would pass all 14, like Hermione had done. Seamus Finnigan took the seat next to Alexis while his best friend Dean Tomas, sat next to his girlfriend, Ginny. Neville Longbottom, a slightly pudgy, forgetful boy, sat down next to Harry and immediately said how happy he was that he had passed five of his O.W.Ls. Their conversations were halted in mid sentence as the first years entered the hall in a long, unorderly line.
As Professor McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher, placed a very worn hat on a stool in front of the students, Ron quickly explained to a confused Alexis that each first-year would have to try on the hat and it would decide what house they were to be in. Alexis, though still looking confused, followed everyone else's example as they stared, unblinkingly, at the hat. Once the whole hall was quiet the hat seemed to come alive. It stretched itself out so that its tip pointed up to the sky and gave forth a loud sound that one could not have mistaken for anything other that a hoarse cough. There were several more moments of silence and the hat exploded into a croaky song.
"Long ago when I was new
When Hogwarts just began,
I was chosen for this job,
I'll do the best I can.
I'm here to sort you into groups,
Using all your brain,
I'll find the strength and good in you,
And put you with the same.
In Gryffindor you'll find the brave,
Those with courage and will,
You will learn the greatest things,
Until your brains all fill.
In Ravenclaw you'll find the smart,
Those with thirst to learn,
You'll be put inside this house,
If you've got smarts to burn.
In Hufflepuff you'll find the workers,
Those who never quit,
If you've been put in Hufflepuff,
You'll make the best of wit.
In Slytherin you'll find the wish,
To become the great and strong,
'Cause power lies within the hearts
Of those within this throng.
I wish I didn't have to sort you,
It seems not very smart.
Though I will regret it soon,
I still must make you part.
In these houses I will form,
You'll join in hands with others.
Though I must tear some apart,
You still must act like brothers.
Join hands between the houses,
Form bonds of friendship and love,
'Cause in these great dark times,
Friends are greater and above.
Though evil may divide you soon,
It may be for the best,
For patches make the fabric stronger,
And the flaws will save the rest.
So remember these words,
And prove them right!
Your mended bonds will
Save you from the fight!
Now welcome all Hogwarts,
A school for only the wise,
What we teach you at Hogwarts,
Will stick till each of you dies."
As the hat finished its song the Great Hall burst into applause. People from the Gryffindor table cheered exceptionally loudly compared to the other three houses.
"Um lets see- 'power lies within the hearts' hmmm… I didn't know that the Slytherins had hearts…" Ron said sarcastically over the din. Harry laughed at this remark but Hermione gave the gangly read-head a disapproving look.
"Did you three understand the part about the patched fabric?" Asked Hermione, but there wasn't any time to answer. The hall was now once again quiet and the first years were shuffling towards the hat with nervous looks on their faces.
Professor McGonagall had unrolled a large scroll and was now reading off the names of the new arrivals alphabetically. "Anderson, Cole." Her voice echoed through the hall as a small, dark-haired boy trotted forward and jammed the hat over his head. His brown eyes were barely visible bellow the brim but the whole student body could still see as they darted back and forth in a nervous frenzy. He seemed to sit on the stool forever till the hat finally shouted out a house name to the hall.
"GRYFFINDOR!" With obvious relief the boy placed the hat back on the stool and ran off to join the Gryffindor table, whose members had risen in a great explosion of applause. The sorting continued and Ron, Harry and Alexis, to Hermione's great disapproval, started playing hangman on a scrap of parchment Harry had found in the pocket of his robes.
The sorting ended with "Willows, Brooke" who became part of the Ravenclaw table. The hangman parchment was hastily put away as Dumbledore began his annual, start of the year speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, students and teachers, ghouls and ghosts; It's the beginning of another year at Hogwarts!" The headmaster paused until the whoops of several students had subsided, and did not continue until all the echoes had ceased from the room. "We know that the past year has featured hard times for many families. Hopefully we are all glad that to be back. I must say that I am quite pleased that the ministry has finally come up to date on current events, though it did take them a whole twelve months." Dumbledore paused again and scanned the heads of the students, his eyes twinkling, then continued in a graver tone.
"We are all well aware that there will be danger in the coming months, maybe even years. We are also aware that we must face those dangers, not alone, but as a group, for together we are stronger than when we are parted. I encourage you to try and become closer with those you have always despised. Forget your differences and think of what we are facing together. Remember, as the hat said, a mended friendship is often stronger than one that has never been broken, for once you have worked out a problem there will be greater understanding between the two people. Forgive each other and work together towards a common goal. So, now that you are plagued with these words of advice," Dumbledore smiled weakly, bringing out even more lines on his old, weathered face, "you can get to eating." He turned away from the students, and idle chatter quickly began.
"Oh! And one more thing you ought to know," The headmaster returned once more from his seat at the table. He coughed. "Your defense teacher is having some difficulty getting here for the first few days of term. Whichever classes that you might have with him will be canceled." More cheers from the audience. "But only for a few days! He guarantees that he will be here by Wednesday night." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled once more. "Now! Now, you may begin eating."
Applause broke out from among the Hogwarts students. It quieted almost instantly when the food appeared on the tables however, and students were soon serving themselves from dishes that had formerly been filled with thin air, now bearing foods of all sorts.
Ron lunged for a large bowl of mashed potatoes while Alexis gave a squeal of surprise at the quick appearance of the large array of edibles. She joined Ron in his fight with Seamus Finnigan over the mashed potato spoon, and eventually won by hitting Ron in the nose with the saltshaker. Seamus, not wanting to be injured, recoiled in shock and watched her pile a fourth of the bowl's contents onto her plate. Hermione observed with disgust as Ron took the bowl and made sure to pile more than twice as much on his own dish. His plate had now magically expanded, doubling its normal diameter, to hold the large quantity of potatoes.
Harry, immune to their great lack of manners, helped himself to an appropriate portion roast beef, then offered the platter to Hermione. She accepted it while still watching the other two reproachfully.
Their redheaded friend began burrowing deeply into the great, white, mountain on his plate as Seamus finally got his shot at the almost empty bowl of spuds. Ron returned from his mining expedition and sprayed the entire group with white fluff as he commented on how good it was.
"Erm-my-nee," he spurted with his full mouth. He swallowed and continued, overlooking the fact that Hermione was now cleaning his food off the front of her freshly ironed robes. "These are great, you should try some." Ron then lowered his head again as he began shoveling more potatoes into his mouth from the quickly diminishing heap. Hermione glared at Ron.
"I would," she said sarcastically. "They just happen to be all gone." But Ron, who obviously hadn't heard, was polishing off the rest of the roast beef that Harry and Hermione had helped them selves to earlier. The meal continued in this way, though Alexis did not eat nearly as much as Ron did, who had a variety of chicken, vegetables and pies before he finally declared himself full.
An hour or so later the students made their way up to the dorms. To the amusement of the others, Ron declared himself "horribly ill" halfway up the marble staircase and rushed off to find a nearby restroom while clutching his stomach. The other three continued up to the Gryffindor common room flanked by first-years, who were receiving directions from Hermione for she, as well as Ron, was once more a Prefect.
After giving the password ("Goblins Gobble Good Grub") and entering through the portrait hole, Harry bid his farewell to the two girls and continued up to the boys' 6th year dorm, which was located at the top of a narrow spiral staircase.
The girls continued up their own staircase after saying good-bye to Harry. In the dorm they were greeted by their pets as Hermione showed Alexis to the free bed. While they changed out of their uniforms, Hermione questioned Alexis.
"So, how do you like Hogwarts?" She asked, moving a disgruntled Crookshanks off her trunk so that she could get to her bedclothes. Alexis paused and then straitened up, already changed for bed.
"Well, all the stuff I've seen is pretty cool, like the ceiling in the Great Hall, how it mimics the real sky. The food's great too." She grinned awkwardly and pulled back the covers to her bed. "Ron is really sweet. I like the way he smiles, you know, sort of lopsided." She giggled. "He doesn't have a girlfriend though does he?"
Hermione turned towards her the new girl, her face blank. "Umm… No. He doesn't. Never has had one." Inwardly she felt a wave of cold towards Alexis. Aloud, Hermione continued prissily. "Why? Do you have something for him?"
Alexis turned bright red at this question and shrugged her shoulders. "Harry's really nice too," she covered up for herself. "He seems really serious sometimes though."
Hermione gave an involuntary twitch at these words and turned away to get into bed, her mouth open as if she wanted to say something. Then, though it didn't seem like her first choice, she murmured, "He's been having a really hard time lately- so- I don't think-" She paused. "Never mind. He's just been through a lot." Rolling over, she pulled the chain on her bedside lamp, turning it out as Alexis did the same to her own.
By the time Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown entered the dorm they were both fast asleep.