-CHAPTER FIVE-
Daimios Vegeurius"Yes, now it is time to sort our new first years into their houses for their duration at Hogwarts, but first, I would like to make an announcement, we have a new member joining our staff this year. Professor Kelp will be taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts subject for his duration at Hogwarts but unfortunately, he has not arrived yet. Now, I will call you one at a time by name and you will sit on this stool while I place the sorting hat on your head." Harry noticed that, while Professor McGonagall was talking, a few of the first years didn't look very enthused about the idea of fitting a ruddy old hat over their heads, and he couldn't blame them, the hat had aged terribly since Harry had first tried it on six years ago. "The sorting hat will sort each of you into one of our four houses: Gryffindor, where I am the Head of House; Hufflepuff, Head of House, Professor Sprout; Ravenclaw, Head of House, Professor Flitwick; and Slytherin, whose new Head of House will now be Professor Slughorn." This announcement was met with boos and hisses from the Slytherin table but all went silent when Professor McGonagall raised her had to speak, "now, shall we begin? Aluxenal, Ruby."
A small girl with big shimmering eyes and bright red pigtails walked towards the stool. Ruby placed the hat on her head and was sorted into Hufflepuff. The Hufflepuff table cheered for their new member while she skipped happily over to the table where she was met with hugs and handshakes.
Harry noticed that there weren't many first years and was glad, he wasn't sure how much longer he could go without a nice grand Hogwarts meal.
"Bateaux, Avery."
"Ravenclaw!" Shouted the old sorting hat. Harry had to admit, the hat may look old but it sure has the same powerful announcing voice.
"I can't wait for the feast, oh, I'm so hungry!" Whined Ron.
"Bokner, Helen."
"Oh give it a rest Ron, it'll be here shortly!" Replied Ginny.
"Ravenclaw!"
Time passed and there were only three first years remaining, a short, ill-looking boy; a cute, brunette girl with oddly shaped glasses; and a tall, handsome boy with a long sheet of black hair tied in the back. Ravenclaw had received six first years so far, Hufflepuff had five, Gryffindor with five also, and Slytherin, strangely, hadn't received any yet.
"Stronomi, Dennis." The sick-looking boy was now green in the face and everybody was on the edge of his or her seats, not only to see if he would vomit, but also to see who would share a common room with Dennis.
"Ravenclaw!" Dennis stumbled over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down, his face slowly turning back to its original colour.
"Unnisia, Tessa." The cute girl adjusted her glassed and walked to the front of the hall.
"Gryffindor!" Tessa walked over and Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the rest of the Gryffindor's cheered her on and welcomed her.
"Finally, Vegeurius, Daimios." The handsome boy walked up the middle isle, looking exceptionally confident, and was about to sit on the stool when the sorting hat shouted.
"Do not place me on the head of this child for, I do not wish to enter into his mind!" Daimios smirked and everyone else was in shock, "I tell you, Slytherin for this boy, now take me away! Slytherin!"
Professor McGonagall carried the hat back to the staff table and announced that Daimios be sorted into Slytherin just as the sorting hat had done, and told everyone not to pay attention to what it had said. "Now, let the feast begin!"
Right before their eyes, mounds of food began to appear on the long house tables. Everyone was digging in, serving up their plates, almost ready to eat when Hagrid stood up at the Staff table, "echem!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and a few people almost dropped their dinner completely. "Before we eat, I'd like ter make a toast, ter Dumbledore," all the tables remained silent except for the Slytherin table who continued to serve themselves, "he was a great man and the best Headmaster this school has and will ever have, no offence Minerva." Everyone in the great hall lifted their glasses (except for the Slytherins, of course) and drank to Dumbledore's name. The feast was now officially on and everyone dug into their mashed potatoes, pork chops, and Yorkshire puddings; not to mention about a hundred other types of food. Once everyone was done, and the plates were cleared, the prefects led their house up to their respected common rooms for the night.
Once inside the Gryffindor common room, Ginny followed Hermione into the girl's dormitory after kissing Harry goodnight. Harry and Ron sat with Neville, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas in the common room and chatted for a bit before they set off to bed.
"Are you serious? That's what that was all about just before the sorting?" Said Dean.
"Salazar's Slytherins? What a joke, they're probably the dumbest kids in the school, they could never even begin to think up a plan to carry on where Snape and Draco left off," said Seamus, "they're a bunch of oafs! Couldn't pass a class if they didn't cheat."
"I don't know you guys. If you ask me, this whole "Salazar's Slytherins" issue is going to end with Crabbe and Goyle fighting because of some idiotic reason," said Ron.
"My bet is they'll have it out for each other as soon as Pansy and Millicent pick a favourite," Ron added, "Hey Harry, you've been pretty quiet. What do you think?"
The truth was, Harry was not even listening to the conversation, he was still fixated on the sorting hat's reaction to the new first year, Daimios Vegeurius, but he decided to take a log shot anyway "uh, yea good show tonight, glad to be back. Salazar's Slytherins, ridiculous." Harry glanced secretly out of the corner of his eye to gauge the reaction on Ron's face. Apparently Harry hadn't even come close to a proper answer for the subject.
"Well it seems that some of us are too tired to hold a conversation," chuckled Dean.
"Yea Harry, I think that little scuffle downstairs must have taken a lot out of you," Seamus added with a grin, "you two coming up now too?"
Harry thought for a second, "no, Ron and I'll catch up with you guys later, I think we're going to relax down here for a bit."
"But Harry, it's so late, I can't," Harry shot Ron a look telling him that something important needed to be shared, "actually, you two go to bed, you both look like you need all the beauty sleep you can manage."
"Ouch Ron, ouch," Dean grabbed at his chest and scrunched up his face into an exaggerated frown, "your killing me Ron!"
"Oh come on you comedian, I'm beat"
Dean and Seamus left the common room and walked up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. "What's going on Harry?"
"Ron, we need to do it soon," Ron's face showed his confusion, "Dumbledore, we need him now, especially now with these Salazar's Slytherins and Daimios."
Ron chuckled but stopped once he saw that Harry was not in the least bit amused, "Harry, you can't be serious. Your worried about a group of stupid oafs and a first year."
"C'mon Ron, you saw how the sorting hat reacted when Daimios came close."
"That ruddy hat has been going down-hill for years Harry, it's senile!"
Harry thought for a few seconds, "I don't know Ron, I saw his face when he was sorted, he looked more sure then Malfoy did in our first year. I could just see him getting himself involved in and taking over Salazar's Slytherins."
"Oh bloody hell Harry," Ron reassured Harry with a comical smirk, "no one could ever organize those dolts. It'd take a Peruvian Vipertooth to get that group of snot-buckets motivated to do anything, how's a little first year going to do that?"
Harry's stern face broke into an ear-to-ear smile at the imagery of Crabbe and Goyle being chased around the castle by a massive Peruvian, "I guess so. We'll talk tomorrow with Hermione; it's probably just my nerves getting me all worried. We should probably turn in for the night, don't want to be late for classes in the morning."
The pair followed in Dean and Seamus' footsteps and headed for sleep.