Chapter four: The Sorting.
After what seemed like forever the door to the opposite side of the room opened to reveal a large dining hall. There were four tables filled with anxious students watching as the first years entered the hall. Above each table was a banner with the house mascot and colors. Red surrounded a gold Gryphon, Green around a silver Serpent, Blue around a bronze Raven and Yellow around a black Badger. Each house seemed to follow the first years as they moved in a single file line. They came to a stop in front of a stool that held and very odd looking hat on it.
"What is that thing?" Bella asked disgusted.
"Quiet!" Snape hissed at Bella, then turned to watch the hat impatiently.
What he was waiting for Bella was unsure of, but she felt ridicules with all of those eyes focused on her and the other first years. She was shortly answered as the brim of the hat opened into what she would have guessed looked like a mouth, not that a hat should ever have a mouth. But this one did! As it began to speak Bella found herself gawking. She had never imagined seeing a hat speak in her lifetime. It's words however were quite unsettling by any means. As Bella listened to these words, she couldn't help but feel the chill behind what it said.
This warning you all must heed
for I do not say this easily
He will rise, just wait and see
we must unite or seek defeat
this new terror is just beginning
and when it is done, your head will be spinning
It's us or him, you must decide
do we save our world or do we die?
This menace is more than we have ever known
and he seeks to take the worldly throne
to defeat him the four must unite
or they must choose not to see the light
They all are bound together
by a bound that one cannot sever
you must find these four at all cost
you must find them or all is lost
one from each house is destined to be
the four defenders of all you see
Under these four all will follow
so you must find them, please don't dawdle
the common thing that they all share
Birth time, date and year, unusual by compare
we must unite and not one by one
to fight the ultimate fight and save the sun
A war is coming that we cannot stop
but we need to fight and not give up
it's time for you all to see
for now and all eternity
just how much we all need to be
united as a family
When the hat stopped speaking no one knew what to say. There was just this awkward silence that filled the great hall. People started to look around, hoping that someone would clarify what had just happened. Finally McGonagall seemed to find her voice enough to speak.
"Professor Snape, if you would please continue with the sorting. We will discuss what that was about in private later."
Snape nodded and cleared his throat. He then opened the parchment in his hands and began to call out names.
Angaliel, Mariel was the first to be a Hufflepuff and Baker, Darik was the first Ravenclaw. The list grew on and on until he reached Ares.
"Malfoy, Ares." Snape called.
Ares carefully walked up to the stool and sat down. As soon as the sorting hat touched him, he heard a voice.
"Ah...young Malfoy. I know just where to put you."
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted.
Ares took off the hat and went to join the Slytherin table just as the next name was read.
"Moonvale, Lucius"
Ares stopped in his tracks and whirled around to look at a small but blonde boy on the stool.
'It can't be!' Ares thought to himself. 'The only Moonvale I know is father's Cousin Celia and he never mentioned her having children.'
But there he sat. A carbon copy of Draco and Ares both. there was no denying that this boy was indeed a cousin of the Malfoys.
'I'll have to write about this to father.' Ares thought as he turned back to the Slytherin table just in time to hear the hat shout.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Moonvale, Lucius."
Harry watched the boy who looked like Draco as he sat down.
"Are we sure that Draco only has one child?" Harry asked his wife quietly.
"Yes, just Ares." Ginny said as she turned to look at the boy who could have been Ares's twin brother. "Although, he does look a lot like Ares doesn't he?"
"Yeah too much like Ares if you ask me." Harry grumbled.
"Oh well, not much we can do about it." Ginny shrugged.
"Well I just hope he's nothing like Draco was in school." Harry grumbled.
"I don't blame you dear." was all Ginny said in reply.
Harry turned back just as the first Weasley child's name was called
"Weasley, Arabella."
Bella paled a bit as she stepped forward and sat down on the stool. Snape then placed the sorting hat on her head and she heard the voice.
"You are very smart and cunning my dear child. I can see that you are ruled by logic as well, so I believe you should be in."
"RAVENCLAW!"
Bella took off the hat and made her way to the Ravenclaw table.
The next name on the list was.
"Weasley, Darion."
And as the hat was placed on Darion's head, he heard.
"You are ruled by courage and cunning but you also have a loyal heart. You will be in."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Darion took off the hat and darted to the Gryffindor table.
The final name on the list was the one that made even Snape raise an eyebrow.
"Weasley, Marcus? Another Weasley?" Snape said surprised.
Even though it was not uncommon for two or more Weasley's to be at Hogwarts at the same time, Three in the same year however? Now that was surprising. As Marcus sat down on the stool Snape placed the sorting hat onto his head.
"Another Weasley? Don't they ever stop multiplying?"
"Hey!" Marcus growled at the hat. "That's my family your talking about here!"
"Did I say that out loud? Sorry. I see you are the loyal one of the bunch, no matter what you will stick to your word. there fore you should be in."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
That last one took a the teachers and a few of the students by surprise. The Weasley's had all been separated into different houses. That had never happened before.
As Marcus joined the Hufflepuff's table he looked up at the head table to see a shocked look on both his Aunt and Uncle's faces.
'I've been split up from Darion!' He thought miserably. 'We've never been apart! Ever, even when mum and dad were punishing us they kept us in the same room!'
He looked at the others and noticed that they all had the same depressed look about them as he did. Well, all except Ares. He had gotten the house he'd wanted and even thought Darion had as well, Marcus knew that he could not possibly be happy that they had been separated.
McGonagall stood and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "We have had quite an unusual beginning to this year. I can't begin to imagine what is in store for us all but I suggest we eat, drink and be merry." she smiled and waved her hand.
All of a sudden the empty food tray's filled with all sorts of foods and everyone began to eat. The chatter however was not as cheerful as it should have been. In fact everyone was quite somber compared to what Marcus had heard from his parents. Not that he could blame them though. There was no laughter or smiles, and only an occasional uncomfortable chuckle every now and then. But no light heartedness could be found within that chuckle. Marcus ate silently, not raising his head to look at anyone. He didn't even look up when McGonagall made her start of the term announcements. He did look up however when a hand touched his shoulder.
"Uncle Harry?" Marcus looked at his Uncle's somber face.
"Marcus, please stay behind when the headmistress excuses the rest of the students." Harry told his nephew. "Darion and Bella will also be staying behind and we will make sure that you all get your passwords and can get to your dorms."
Marcus nodded and Harry made his way back to the head table. As soon as McGonagall had excused the other students Darion, Bella and Marcus all made their way to the head table.
"You wanted to see us Uncle Harry?" Darion asked as they reached the table.
"It is more that I wish to see you three." McGonagall stood. "If you will follow me please."
The three students followed McGonagall, wondering what they had done wrong. They went down a corridor and came to a stop in front of a stone Gryphon statue. McGonagall uttered the password of "Fawkes" and the statue jumped to the side to reveal a staircase in which the headmistress started to climb. As they entered the office McGonagall motioned for them to sit as she took her place behind the desk in front of them. She watched them carefully for a moment before speaking.
"This is a very unusual start of the school year for us. The only time other than this that the sorting hat had ever spoken rather than sang was when Voldemort had returned to power. I have no doubt that this has something to do with the fact that we have three Weasley's and that they were all placed in separate houses." McGonagall watched for their reaction. "As un precedented as this is, there is another thing that makes me believe what has occurred with the sorting hat has to do with you all, but I want you to see it for your selves as well, if you would please tell me your birth date, time and year."
"Darion and I were born by C-section, because of complications on February 29th, 2004 at midnight even." Marcus told the McGonagall. "They had to either choose losing one of us or getting us both out within a one second time frame."
McGonagall nodded. "And you?" she turned to Bella.
"I was also born on the 29th of February 2004 at midnight!" Bella grew a look of shock.
"Just as I thought." McGonagall stated. "Well we have found three out of the four. But who is the fourth?" McGonagall muttered more to herself.
"Pardon me, but what do you mean you've found three out of four?" Bella asked confused.
"I have reason to believe that you three are a part of the four that the hat spoke of." McGonagall told them.
"But If we are who the hat spoke of then who's the fourth?" Marcus asked.
"That my dear is precisely what I want to know." McGonagall sighed. "I also want to know what it is that you are supposed to be defending us from, but I fear that it will be quite a while before we find that out."
"But why us?" Bella asked.
"I am afraid I can't answer that my dear." McGonagall looked at them sympathetically. "But I must ask that this does not leave this room."
They nodded their agreement.
"Very well, you will find your heads of house waiting for you out in the hallway." McGonagall dismissed them.
They got up at the same time and made their way quickly out of the office. As they got to the hallway they spotted their Aunt Ginny waiting beside a friendly but plump looking woman and a cheerful little man with a balding head.
"Aunt Ginny!" Darion and Marcus cried as they ran to give Ginny a hug.
"Hi boys!" Ginny chuckled as she hugged them. Then looked at Bella softly. "Hello Bella, I'm your Aunt Ginny." She held out her hand and as soon as Bella took it Ginny pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear. "I'm here for you if you ever need me."
Bella nodded as they pulled away.
"Okay, now Darion you will come with me seeing that I am your head of house." Ginny explained. "Marcus, you will go with professor Sprout, she us the head of Hufflepuff. And Bella you will go with professor Midan, He is our new head of Ravenclaw."
Each of the Weasley children moved beside their head of house and all of them began to make their way back towards the great hall. Just as they passed the great hall Bell and professor Midan broke off from the group and proceeded down a corridor. The others began to climb a staircase and as another corridor came into view Marcus and professor Sprout broke off. Now it was just Ginny and Darion that continued to climb. As soon as Ginny was sure that they were alone she spoke again.
"What did McGonagall want with you all?" She asked.
"She believes that Marcus, Bella and I are three of the four that the hat spoke of." Darion told his Aunt. "But don't tell her I said anything please! She asked us not to tell anyone."
"Don't worry Dari, but why does she believe that you are three of the four?"
"Because we are all born on February 29th 2004 at midnight." Darion explained.
"Really? Bella too?" Ginny looked surprised. "I mean I knew you two were, but Bella?"
"Yep, Bella too." Darion nodded.
"I see." was all Ginny said until they stopped climbing and came to a portrait of a fat lady in a lavender night gown.
"Butterbeer." Ginny stated.
The portrait swung open revealing a common room.
"I would recommend not telling anyone what you talked with me about Dari."
"I won't Aunt Ginny."
"Then let's show you to your room then." She smiled as she entered the common room with Darion.