I'm very excited for this chapter—Rachel is going to be introduced to my personal favourite character in all the books! I hope you enjoy :)
Chapter 3
The Dementor
It was very clear that Remo didn't like Crookshanks.
"Remo no!" Rachel shouted, dashing after the three-legged black cat that was stumbling down the stairs.
Lukas darted from his room, Zaine in tow, and they both jumped on Crookshanks, who had been hissing and chasing Remo, very unhappy with the other male cat, and the two had been fighting for dominance.
Rachel had almost reached Remo when he completely fell off the stairs and stumbled onto the ground, near the feet of Amy, who looked rather startled at what was happening. Hermione, who had been brushing her teeth, yelled at Lukas and Zaine to let Crookshanks go.
"Are you crazy?" Hermione was saying to the two of them as Rachel came back up the stairs, cradling Remo in her arms. "You could've hurt him!"
"Hurt him?" cried Rachel. "Hurt him? What about Remo! He fell off the stairs because of Crookshanks!"
"They were trying to show up one another, it's what all cats do when fighting for dominance," Hermione scoffed at Rachel.
Rachel went into her room, seething, and locked Remo in his cage, while Crookshanks went into his basket. Rachel scowled at Hermione and went to get changed, mad that she had to go out in her pyjamas (pink shorts and a white shirt, very unlike Rachel's normal daywear). She put on jeans and the Weasley sweater Mrs. Weasley had given her for Christmas a few months ago, which was striped red and fiery yellow, with GRYFFINDOR and HANEY stitched onto the back with black letters.
After putting on her shoes, Rachel brushed past Hermione angrily and went down to breakfast. Mr. Weasley was reading the Daily Prophet with a furrowed brown. Rachel turned down Mrs. Weasley's offer to tell her about a love potion she'd made as a young girl, but Hermione, Ginny, and Amy were curious and all four of them giggled.
Rachel huffed angrily at Hermione and Harry and Ron sat down beside her.
"What were you saying?" Ron asked Harry, and Rachel leaned in to listen.
"Later," Harry muttered. Percy stormed in angrily.
Leaving was complete chaos; they were busy heaving all their trunks down the narrow staircase of the Leaky Cauldron, piling them up near the door. Hedwig, Adam, and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, were perched on top in their cages, and beside Remo's cage on the floor beside the trunks was a small wickerwork basket, spitting loudly.
"It's all right, Crookshanks," Hermione cooed through the wickerwork. "I'll let you out on the train."
"You won't," snapped Ron, pointing at the large lump on his chest where Scabbers was curled up in his pocket. "What about poor Scabbers, eh?"
"And he'll attack Remo again," said Rachel, still mad.
Mr. Weasley, who had been waiting outside for the Ministry cars, stuck his head inside.
"They're here," he said. "Harry, come on."
Harry left, looking slightly confused, and then Ron, Hermione, and Rachel followed, tension in the air thick about their squabble with their pets.
There were three old-fashioned dark green cars, each of which was driven by a furtive-looking wizard wearing a suit of emerald velvet. Rachel sat beside Harry, far away from Hermione, and Ron looked very disgruntled at her.
They finally left after a few minutes. The Ministry of Magic cars managed to slide through narrow gaps, but other than that, seemed very ordinary. They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, unloaded their trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley, and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights.
"Right then," said Mr. Weasley, glancing around them when they'd reached the barrier between platforms nine and ten. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us. I'll go through first with Harry."
Mr. Weasley and Harry leaned casually against the banner and fell through. Percy and Ginny went next with a run, and Lukas broke apart Hermione, Rachel, and Ron, who had been glaring at one another, and grabbed Rachel by the arm. They pushed their trolleys toward the barrier and went through as casually as they could.
Percy had already left, and Harry and Ginny were giggling about something.
Once the remaining Weasleys, the Shaws, Jeremy, and Hermione had joined them, Harry and Rachel led the way to the end of the train, past packed compartments, to a carriage that looked quite empty. They loaded the trunks onto it, stowed Hedwig, Adam, Remo, and Crookshanks in the luggage racks, then went back outside to say good-bye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
Mrs. Weasley kissed all her children, then the Shaws (which came as a surprise, as they'd only known her since yesterday), Lukas, Jeremy, and Rachel, then Hermione, and then Harry.
Mrs. Weasley told Harry to take care and stood up, opening her enormous handbag. "I've made you all sandwiches… Here you are, Ron… no, they're not corned beef… Fred? Where's Fred? Here you are, dear… Amy, here you go, without the lettuce..."
Rachel received her bacon sandwich and thanked Mrs. Weasley, joining Lukas, Ron, and Hermione. Lukas was rolling his eyes at the scowls all three of them wore. Rachel hadn't a clue where Harry or Mr. Weasley went.
Mrs. Weasley shooed them onto the train and several minutes later there was a loud whistle. Guards were walking along the train, slamming all the doors shut.
"Arthur, quickly!" cried Mrs. Weasley as Rachel and Ron leaned out the door, watching Harry run toward the compartment door as steam billowed from the train and it started to move. They threw open the door and stood back to let him on, then leaned out of the window and waved at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until the train turned a corner and blocked them from view.
"I need to talk to you in private," Harry muttered to Ron, Hermione, and Rachel as the train picked up speed.
"Go away, Ginny," said Ron.
"Oh, that's nice," said Ginny huffily, and she stalked off the way Jeremy had set off to.
"Lukas?" said Hermione.
"He can stay," said Harry. "I'd rather not deal with you three arguing alone."
They set off down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment. They were all full except for the one at the very end of the train. There was only a man sitting fast asleep next to the window. Rachel was a bit puzzled; she'd never seen an adult on the train other than the witch who pushed the food cart; it was usually reserved for students.
The man was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though he looked quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with grey.
"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hissed as they sat down and slid the door shut, taking the seats farthest away from the window.
"Professor R. J. Lupin," whispered Hermione at once.
"How d'you know that?"
"It's on his case," said Hermione, pointing at the luggage rack over the man's head, where there was a small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. The name Professor R. J. Lupin was stamped across one corner in peeling letters.
"Wonder what he teaches?" said Lukas, frowning at Professor Lupin's pallid profile.
"That's obvious," whispered Rachel. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Rachel sighed; they'd already had two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, both of whom had lasted only one year. There were rumours that the job was jinxed, and Rachel didn't doubt that rumour.
"Well, I hope he's up to it," said Ron doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex wouldn't finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway…" He turned to Harry. "What were you going to tell us?"
Harry explained all about Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's argument and the warning Mr. Weasley had just given him. When he'd finished, Ron looked thunderstruck, Rachel and Lukas were looking at him with wide eyes and Hermione had her hands over her mouth. She finally lowered them to say, "Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry… you'll have to be really, really careful. Don't go looking for trouble, Harry—"
"I don't go looking for trouble," said Harry. "Trouble usually finds me."
"How thick would Harry have to be, to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" said Ron shakily.
"No one knows how he got out of Azkaban," said Lukas uncomfortably. "No one's ever done it before. And he was a top-security prisoner too."
"But they'll catch him, won't they?" said Rachel earnestly. "I mean, they've got all the Muggles looking out for him too…"
"What's that noise?" said Ron suddenly.
A faint, tinny sort of whistle was coming from somewhere. They looked all around the compartment.
"It's coming from your trunk, Harry," said Ron, standing up and reaching into the luggage rack. A moment later he had pulled a small device from Harry's trunk. It was spinning very fast in the palm of Ron's hand and glowing brilliantly.
"Is that a Sneakoscope?" said Hermione interestedly, standing up for a better look.
"Yeah… mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron said. "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."
"Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" said Hermione shrewdly.
"No! Well… I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys… but how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?"
"Stick it back in the trunk," Harry advised as the Sneakoscope whistled piercingly, "or it'll wake him up."
He nodded toward Professor Lupin. Ron stuffed the Sneakoscope into a particularly horrible pair of old socks, deadening the sound, then closed the lid of the trunk on it.
"We could get it checked in Hogsmeade," said Ron, sitting back down. "They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me."
"Do you know much about Hogsmeade?" asked Hermione keenly. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain—"
"Yeah, I think it is," said Ron, "but that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!"
"What's that?" said Rachel.
"It's this sweetshop," said Ron, a dreamy look coming over his face, "where they've got everything… Pepper Imps—they make you smoke at the mouth—and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking what to write next—"
"But Hogsmeade's a very interesting place, isn't it?" said Hermione. "In Sites of Historical Sorcery it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain—"
"—and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them," said Ron, who was plainly not listening to a word Hermione was saying.
Lukas looked around at Harry.
"Won't it be nice to get out of school for a bit and explore Hogsmeade?" he said.
"'Spect it will," said Harry heavily. "You'll have to tell me when you've found out."
"What d'you mean?" said Ron.
"I can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either."
Rachel scoffed and said angrily, "You're not allowed to come? But—no way—McGonagall or someone will give you permission—"
Harry gave a hollow laugh.
"—or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle—" Ron was saying.
"Ron!" said Hermione sharply. "I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of school with Black on the loose—"
"Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when I ask for permission," said Harry, sounding bitter.
"But if we're with him," said Ron spiritedly to Hermione, "Black wouldn't dare—"
"Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish," snapped Hermione. "Black's already murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street. Do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry just because we're there?"
She was fumbling with the straps of Crookshanks's basket as she spoke. Rachel scowled at the basket and shuffled toward the window, where Remo's cage stood. Remo was sleeping peacefully inside.
"Don't let that thing out!" Ron said, but too late; Crookshanks leapt lightly from the basket, stretched, yawned, and sprang onto Ron's knees; Ron angrily shoved Crookshanks away.
"Get out of here!"
"Ron, don't!" said Hermione angrily.
Ron was about to answer back when Professor Lupin stirred. They watched him apprehensively, but he simply turned his head the other way, mouth slightly open, and slept on.
The Hogwarts Express moved steadily north and the scenery outside the window became wilder and darker while the clouds overhead thickened. People were chasing backward and forward past the door of their compartment. Crookshanks had now settled in an empty seat, his squashed face turned toward Ron, his yellow eyes on Ron's top pocket, where Scabbers was shaking.
At one o'clock, the plump witch with the food cart arrived at the compartment door.
"D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked awkwardly, nodding toward Professor Lupin. "He looks like he could do with some food."
Rachel stood up and approached Professor Lupin cautiously.
"Er—Professor?" she said. "Excuse me—Professor?"
He didn't move.
"Don't worry, dear," said the witch as she handed Harry a large stack of Cauldron Cakes. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."
"I suppose he is asleep?" said Ron quietly as the witch slid the compartment door closed. "I mean—he hasn't died, has he?"
"No, no, he's breathing," said Rachel, taking the Cauldron Cake Harry passed her.
It was lucky that Professor Lupin was in their compartment. Midafternoon, just as rain was starting to fall, three of their least favourite people appeared at the door: Draco Malfoy, flanked by his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Rachel had hated them the moment they first met.
"Well, look who it is," said Malfoy in his usual lazy drawl, pulling open the compartment door. "Potty and the Weasel."
Crabbe and Goyle chuckled trollishly.
"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," said Malfoy. "Did your mother die of shock?"
Ron stood up so quickly he knocked Crookshanks's basket to the floor. Professor Lupin gave a snort.
"Who's that?" said Malfoy, taking an automatic step backward as he spotted Lupin.
"New teacher," said Harry, who got to his feet, too. "What were you saying, Malfoy?"
Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed.
"C'mon," he muttered resentfully to Crabbe and Goyle, and they disappeared.
Harry and Ron sat down again, Ron massaging his knuckles.
"I'm not going to take any crap from Malfoy this year," he said angrily. "I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of his head and—"
Ron made a violent gesture in midair.
"Ron," hissed Hermione, pointing at Professor Lupin, "be careful…"
But Professor Lupin was still fast asleep.
The rain thickened as the train sped yet farther north.
"We must be nearly there," said Lukas, leaning forward to look past Professor Lupin at the now completely black window.
The words had hardly left him when the train started to slow down.
"Great," said Ron, getting up and walking carefully past Professor Lupin to try and see outside. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast…"
"We can't be there yet," said Hermione, checking her watch.
"So why're we stopping?" said Rachel.
The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons fell away, the wind and rain sounded louder than ever against the windows.
Harry sat nearest to the door and looked outside the carriage.
The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness.
"What's going on?" said Ron's voice.
"Ouch!" gasped Hermione. "Ron, that was my foot!"
Someone fell back into their seat.
"D'you think we've broken down?"
"Dunno…"
There was a squeaking sound; Lukas was wiping a patch clean on the window.
"There's something moving out there," Lukas said. "I think people are coming aboard…"
The compartment door opened. Rachel could hear someone falling.
"Sorry—d'you know what's going on?—Ouch—sorry—"
"Hullo, Neville," said Harry's voice.
"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"
"No idea—sit down—"
There was a loud hissing and a yelp of pain; Neville had tried to sit on Crookshanks.
Someone else stumbled into the compartment.
A small voice said, "Luke? Rach?"
"Jeremy!" Rachel gasped quietly.
"I'm scared—what's going on?"
"We don't know, come here—"
Rachel reached out and found Jeremy's arm, pulling him toward her and squeezing him between herself and Lukas.
"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," came Hermione's voice. The door slid open after a few seconds and then there was a bump and two shrieks.
"Who's that?"
"Who's that?"
"Ginny?"
"Hermione?"
"What are you doing?"
"I was looking for Ron—"
"Come in and sit down—"
"Not here!" said Harry hurriedly. "I'm here!"
"Ouch!" said Neville.
"Quiet!" said a hoarse voice suddenly.
Movement came from Professor Lupin's corner, and then there was a soft, crackling noise, and a shivering light filled the compartment. Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames. They illuminated his tired, gray face, but his eyes looked alert and wary.
"Stay where you are," he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him.
But the door slid slowly open before Lupin could reach it.
Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Lupin's hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. It drew a long, slow, rattling breath.
Rachel shivered as an intense cold swept over her, holding Jeremy closer to her while Lukas had his arms around them both, pulled protectively and tightly against him.
Professor Lupin stepped over Harry, who had fallen to the floor, and said, "None of us are hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go."
The thing didn't move, and Jeremy gave a strangled cry. Rachel felt as if she'd never be happy again. She felt terrible. Every sad memory she ever had came rushing back to her.
Professor Lupin muttered something, a silver wisp shot from his wand, and then the thing glided away. The lights flickered back on, and the train began to move again.
Rachel blinked and looked around, seeing Neville and Ginny looking very pale. Ron and Hermione shot off their seats toward Harry, who laid in the middle of the floor, and slapped him in the face, which was covered with sweat.
"Harry! Harry! Are you all right?"
Ron gave Harry one final slap before he woke up.
"W—what?"
Ron and Hermione heaved him back onto his seat.
"Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously.
"Yeah," said Harry, looking toward the door. "What happened? Where's that—that thing? Who screamed?"
"No one screamed," said Ron, more nervously still.
"But I heard screaming—"
A loud snap made them all jump. Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces.
"Here," he said, handing Harry a big piece. "Eat it. It'll help."
Harry took the chocolate and only held it.
"What was that thing?" he asked.
"A dementor," said Lupin, who was now giving a large piece of chocolate to Lukas, who broke it in three pieces for Rachel and Jeremy, who had tears running down his face. "One of the dementors of Azkaban."
Everyone stared at him. Professor Lupin crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and put it in his pocket.
"Eat," he repeated. "It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me…"
He strolled past Harry and disappeared into the corridor.
"Are you sure you're okay, Harry?" said Hermione, who watching Harry anxiously.
"I don't get it… What happened?" said Harry, wiping more sweat off his face.
"Well—that thing—the dementor—stood there and looked around (I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face)—and you—you—"
"I thought you were having a fit or something," said Ron, who still looked scared. "You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat and started twitching—"
Rachel didn't recall seeing it. She was too busy holding Jeremy and squeezing her eyes closed.
"And Professor Lupin stepped over you, and walked toward the dementor, and pulled out his wand," said Hermione, "and he said, 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.' But the dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned around and sort of glided away…"
"It was horrible," said Neville, in a higher voice than usual. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"
"I felt weird," said Rachel, shifting uncomfortably. "Like I'd never be cheerful again…"
Ginny, who was huddled in her corner, gave a small sob; Hermione went over and put a comforting arm around her.
"But didn't any of you—fall off your seats?" said Harry awkwardly.
"No," said Ron, looking anxiously at Harry again. "Ginny was shaking like mad, though, and Jeremy kept crying…"
Professor Lupin had come back. He paused as he entered, looked around, and said, with a small smile, "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know…"
Rachel took a bite, relaxing when she felt warmth spread through her.
"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," said Professor Lupin. "Are you all right, Harry?"
"Fine," Harry muttered.
They didn't talk much during the remainder of the journey. Jeremy was too scared to go back to his original compartment so he stayed with Rachel and Lukas. Lukas fretted over Rachel and Jeremy, continuously asking if they were okay.
At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside; owls hooted, cats meowed, and Neville's pet toad croaked loudly from under his hat. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets.
"Firs' years this way!" called a familiar voice. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Rachel, and Lukas turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid at the other end of the platform, beckoning the terrified-looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake. Rachel pushed Jeremy toward Hagrid.
"All righ', you five?" Hagrid yelled over the heads of the crowd. They waved at him, but had no chance to speak to him because the mass of people around them was shunting them away along the platform. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Rachel, and Lukas followed the rest of the school along the platform and out onto a rough mud track, where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited the remaining students, each pulled by an invisible horse. When Lukas closed the door it began moving automatically.
Two more dementors stood guard on either side of the pair of magnificent wrought iron gates. Rachel shivered at the cold that washed over her. The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping drive up the castle. When it came to a halt, Rachel and Lukas jumped out first and helped Ron and Hermione get out.
As Harry stepped down with Lukas' help, a drawling, delighted voice spoke.
"You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?"
Malfoy elbowed past Rachel to block Harry's way up the stone steps to the castle.
"Shove off, Malfoy," said Ron, whose jaw was clenched.
"Did you faint as well, Weasley?" said Malfoy loudly. "Did the scary old dementor frighten you too, Weasley?"
"Is there a problem?" said a mild voice. Professor Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage.
Malfoy gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, taking in the patches on his robes and his old suitcase. With a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, he said, "Oh, no—er—Professor," then he smirked at Crabbe and Goyle and led them up the steps into the castle.
Hermione prodded Ron in the back to make him hurry, and the five of them joined the crowd swarming up the steps, through the giant oak front doors, into the cavernous entrance hall, which was lit with flaming torches, and housed a magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors.
The door into the Great Hall stood open at the right; they had barely entered when a voice called, "Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!"
Rachel turned with everybody else. Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor House, was calling over the heads of the crowd.
"There's no need to look so worried—I just want a word in my office," she told Harry and Hermione. "Move along there, Weasley, Haney, Miss Haney."
Ron, Rachel, and Lukas stared as Professor McGonagall ushered Harry and Hermione away from the chattering crowd.
"No point in waiting around," said Lukas, shrugging. "Come on, I want to see Jeremy enter."
They entered the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table, where their friends Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas joined them, talking about what happened on the train.
A hush fell over the hall when Hagrid entered with the first years in tow, and Rachel sat a little straighter, spotting Jeremy's brown hair, which was drenched from the rain. Rachel felt a bit bad for him; the night had been great when she had crossed the lake to get to Hogwarts.
Professor Flitwick, a short wizard with a shock of white hair, placed a three-legged stool in front of the High Table, where the teachers sat (Professor McGonagall's seat was empty) and on it he put an ancient hat. Rachel waited with bated breath as the rim of the hat slowly parted and it began to sing.
"Again I sit in front of you,
I see faces old and new.
Now the new ones will be sorted too,
And in seven years, we will say 'adieu'.
"I can see every question you ask,
All the thoughts inside your mind.
Now it is my task
To see what qualities I can find.
"Maybe Gryffindor is where you belong,
Where the daring and brave will find their home;
Those qualities will hardly do wrong,
It is where the chivalrous roam.
"Or maybe Ravenclaw is your perfect fit,
The wise and clever you will find there;
Those hard workers that never quit,
Until they find the answer to the question that others share.
"Or Hufflepuff is where you find your comfort,
The loyal and fair will accept all;
Hufflepuff is where they give you support,
Their kindness will enthrall.
"Lastly there is Slytherin,
The cunning folk;
Their ambition lies deep within,
And perhaps that is the house you will hear me croak.
"Now step forward,
Don't be afraid.
I shall give you the reward,
Of placing you in the house for which you were made."
Rachel clapped hard with everyone else, and Professor Flitwick unrolled the roll of parchment he held and squeaked, "When I call your name, please step forward and sit on the stool and place the hat on your head. Ammot, Derek!"
A boy with blond hair stumbled forward and put the hat on his head. After several seconds, the hat shouted, "RAVENCLAW!"
Rachel waited, watching Jeremy, who stood nervously between two people Rachel vaguely recognized from something.
After "Greengrass, Astoria" became a Slytherin and joined her sister Daphne Greengrass, Rachel perked up.
"Haney, Jeremy!"
Jeremy stumbled toward the stool like Derek Ammot had and slammed the hat onto his head, visibly shaking on the chair. Rachel and Lukas waited anxiously. Rachel didn't care what house Jeremy was put in, as long as it wasn't Slytherin. She wouldn't know what to do if he was a Slytherin.
After a few minutes, Ron checked his watch.
"He's a hatstall," he whispered to Rachel and Lukas. "He's been on there for more than five minutes."
"It that bad?" whispered Lukas.
"No, it just means the Sorting Hat doesn't know what House to put him in, probably," said Ron. "It's extremely rare. I heard McGonagall was a hatstall…"
After what felt like hours, the rim at the Sorting Hat opened and he shouted, "Better be… RAVENCLAW!"
Rachel cheered loudly, feeling slightly sad that Jeremy wouldn't be in her house. Lukas seemed disappointed too, and Jeremy shot a happy look at Rachel and Lukas before sitting with Derek Ammot and Julia Davis, who had also been sorted into Ravenclaw earlier.
The next name came as a surprise.
"Homesteeds, Annie!"
"That's Jeremy's friend!" gasped Lukas.
Ron, Rachel, and Lukas leaned forward, and Rachel saw Annie Homesteeds' strawberry blonde hair shining in the candlelight. She sat confidently on the stool, and seconds later, the hat declared, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Annie plucked the hat off her head and happily skipped to the Hufflepuff table.
"Homesteeds, Jacob!"
Jacob Homesteeds, whose hair was brown rather than strawberry blonde like his twin sisters' hair, walked forward. He put on the hat, which spent a little bit longer on him before shouting through the hall, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Rachel waved excitedly at Jacob as 'Jagla, Thomas' became a Slytherin.
Several minutes later, there were seven new Gryffindors (Jacob Homesteeds, Romilda Vane, Jane MacCartney, Cody Morris, John Reasor, Jesse Virtue, and Alyssa Yambor) and Professor Flitwick picked up the Sorting Hat and the stool, and walked out of the Great Hall as Harry and Hermione hurried inside and Professor McGonagall strode toward her empty seat.
Harry and Hermione sat down beside Ron and Rachel.
"What was all that about?" Ron muttered to Harry.
Harry started to explain in a whisper, but at that moment the headmaster stood up to speak, and he broke off.
Professor Dumbledore, old and with a long silver beard, beamed at everyone.
"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast…"
Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."
He paused briefly.
"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises—or even Invisibility Cloaks," he added blandly, and Rachel glanced at Harry and Ron, grinning sadly. "It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors," he said.
Percy, who was sitting a few seats down from Rachel, puffed out his chest again and stared around impressively. Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound.
"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.
"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Only those who had been in the compartment on the train with Professor Lupin clapped hard, Rachel being one of them. Professor Lupin looked particularly shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes.
"Look at Snape!" Ron hissed.
Professor Snape, the Potions master, was staring along the staff table. It was common knowledge that Snape wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He looked loathingly at Professor Lupin.
"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."
Rachel's jaw dropped, stunned. Then, she joined in with the applause. The Gryffindor table was the loudest of all.
"We should've known!" Ron roared, pounding the table. "Who else would have assigned us a biting book?"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Rachel were the last to stop clapping, and as Professor Dumbledore started speaking again, they saw that Hagrid was wiping his eyes on the tablecloth.
"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"
The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink. Rachel thankfully leaned forward and began scooping great amounts of food onto her plate.
The feast was delicious; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clatter of knives and forks. Rachel was eager to finish, though, for she wanted to talk to Hagrid with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
At long last, when the last morsels of pumpkin tart had melted from the golden platters, Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed, and they got their chance.
"Congratulations, Hagrid!" Hermione squealed as they reached the teachers' table.
"All down ter you four," said Hagrid, wiping his shining face on his napkin as he looked up at them. "Can' believe it… great man, Dumbledore… came straight down to me hut after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough… It's what I always wanted…"
Overcome with emotion, he buried his face in his napkin, and Professor McGonagall shooed them away.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Rachel joined the Gryffindors streaming up the marble staircase and, very tired now, along more corridors, up more and more stairs, to the hidden entrance to Gryffindor Tower. A large portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress asked them, "Password?"
"Coming through, coming through!" Percy called from behind the crowd. "The new password's 'Fortuna Major'!"
"Oh no," said Neville Longbottom sadly, who always had trouble remembering passwords.
Through the portrait hole and across the common room, the girls and boys divided toward their separate staircases. Rachel climbed the stairs with Hermione and walked into her dormitory, smiling at the five four-poster beds, feeling glad to be back at Hogwarts.
A/N: Here's two fun facts about this chapter's Sorting Ceremony; I wrote the Sorting Hat song myself, I hope it's good! I also was stuck on whether Jeremy would be a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, it took me a while to figure out hihi
Thanks for reading!