It was the evening of September 1st and another school year at Hogwarts was just beginning. Eleanor Wicks made her way off of the Hogwarts Express guiding the second years over to where the carriages were waiting with the other prefects whom she had just met earlier on the train.
She didn't know much about the two Ravenclaw prefects and Ernie Macmillan, the other Hufflepuff prefect was far from what she'd call a friend, though she had no animosity with him. Then there were the two Gryffindors; Hermione Granger - the know-it-all that Eleanor often found herself competing with in class and Ronald Weasley, both of whom she knew to be the best friends of Harry Potter.
But despite not knowing more than any of their names they were definitely preferable to the two Slytherin prefects Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. Pansy, unlike the others was a well known acquaintance of Eleanor's after all, Pansy had made it her obligation to be positively foul to Eleanor ever since they had met.
When all the second years had found their way into a carriage Eleanor turned back towards the train, searching the remaining crowd for Cynthia, her friend of five years now and a constant source of bubbly energy and scathing sarcasm.
It doesn't take long to find Cynthia since over the holidays she dyed her hair a vivid bubblegum blue and even in the darkness of the evening it stood out amongst the other students. On seeing Eleanor approaching Cynthia hurries forward, grabbing hold of her friend and jumping into the next available carriage talking at a mile a minute.
"I love what you've done with your hair!" Eleanor says as Cynthia ruffles up the short pixie haircut she now had.
Eleanor's own hair was currently making its way out of the sloppy bun she'd made earlier, blonde wisps blowing in her face every few seconds much to her annoyance.
The carriage sets off, winding along the road that will bring them to the front door of Hogwarts, Cynthia begins to rummage in the pockets of her robes while Eleanor hangs her head out of the carriage, craning her neck for a glimpse of the castle.
"Chocolate?" Cynthia asks.
"Ooh gimme," says Eleanor reaching for the block.
"The start of year feast is less than an hour away and you're going to stuff your face with chocolate?" Says Cynthia's older brother Reggie incredulously, straightening his Ravenclaw blue tie and frowning at the two of us.
"Exactly. The feast is like an hour away, I'm gonna need some sustenance so I can sit through the sorting." Cynthia retorts, breaking off another piece of chocolate.
"Wonder who they've got as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Eleanor says aloud as they climb out of the carriage, distracting Reggie from the fact that Cynthia had now finished the whole block of chocolate.
"Dunno, I just hope it's not another Lockhart incident. I don't think I can handle having an inadequate teacher again," sighs Reggie, spotting some of his friends and leaving Cynthia and Eleanor to enter the castle alone.
Ahead of them Eleanor spies Harry Potter and his group of friends heading into the hall.
"Have you seen what the Prophet's been saying about him?" Cynthia asks, dropping her voice as they follow them in.
"Not really, dad doesn't bother with the Prophet very much. Is it something to do with Cedric?"
Eleanor watches as her friend shrinks a little upon hearing his name and regrets saying it, he had been a friend of hers before the unthinkable tragedy had occurred last year.
"They're saying that it was an accident. That Harry and Professor Dumbledore are lying about you-know-who being back to stir up trouble for the Minister."
"Please, I doubt even a troll could believe that. Why on earth would Professor Dumbledore want to cause the Ministry trouble? And you knew Cedric, there's no way he just dropped dead of his own volition."
Sitting down at the Hufflepuff table they look towards the Gryffindors, a surge of sympathy bubbling up in Eleanor as she notices the way others are whispering and staring at Harry whenever they think he isn't looking, no doubt discussing the same thing she and Cynthia were.
Suddenly everyone in the hall falls silent and turns their attention to the first years who have just entered the hall, all of them glancing everywhere around the hall as they make their way forward. While watching them enter Cynthia nudges Eleanor, nodding her head towards the staff table where an unfamiliar witch is sitting.
Her face, though smiling looks insincere and she wears an ugly pink cardigan over her robes with a bow on top of her head. Not at all what Eleanor had expected of the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
With all the first years now assembled in the hall Professor McGonagall places the sorting hat onto the same small, spindly stool everyone in the hall had sat on at one point to be sorted. As it did every year the rip near the brim of the hat opens and it begins to sing the annual pre-sorting song.
In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach!"
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name,"
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A House in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the Houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the Houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within.
I have told you, I have warned you…
Let the Sorting now begin.
Applause ripples around the room, mixed with the murmurings of students discussing the sorting hats warning. Eleanor and Cynthia are no exception, leaning in to whisper to each other.
"That was new," says Cynthia.
"Yeah, doesn't sound like he's too keen on splitting everyone up," Eleanor replies.
From the front of the hall McGonagall calls for a silence, shocked at the audacity of everyone in the hall to talk over the sorting. A hush falls over the room as one by one the first years are called up to the hat who announces which of the four houses they will belong to.
A timid girl approaches the Hufflepuff table, taking a seat by Hannah Abbott just as the sorting finishes and Dumbledore stands up from his chair at the staff table.
"Tuck in," he says. The golden plates on each of the four tables are suddenly brimming with food, Eleanor and Cynthia waste no time in filling their plates, picking out their favourite foods and for the next few minutes they have nothing to say but exclamations for the wonderful work of the Hogwarts house elves.
After the last desserts fade away from the plates and everyone is full and sated Dumbledore again rises from his seat to make his usual announcements, reminding everyone that the forbidden forest is out of bounds to everyone and that Filch has posted a notice of banned items outside his office.
"I would also like to introduce the two new additions we have to our teaching staff," says Dumbledore, "Professor Grubbly-Plank will be filling in as a substitute for Care of Magical Creatures and Professor Umbridge has kindly agreed to be our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Finally Quidditch tryouts will be held… ."
"Hem hem."
Dumbledore stops mid-sentence, looking to the witch in the pink cardigan - Umbridge, who had just taken it upon herself to interrupt his speech, something that no teacher had ever done and indeed, Professor McGonagall looked especially scandalised as Umbridge began to make her own speech to the students.
After listening for a few minutes Cynthia turns away and begins to whisper with Eleanor again, around them other students also seem to lose interest and chat amongst themselves. Despite the growing noise in the hall Umbridge continues on with her well rehearsed speech and Eleanor begins to gaze uninterestedly around the Hall waiting for her to finish.
At the Gryffindor table Hermione Granger is looking attentively at the witch who is still speaking but her face shows only disgust and Eleanor smiles at the idea of Hermione Granger outwardly showing dislike for any Professor.
"Hmm?" says Eleanor when Cynthia pulls her to her feet.
"It's over."
Snapping out of the haze she had fallen into Eleanor hurries to catch up to Ernie Macmillan who was already leading the first years out of the hall in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room.
"Sorry," she says as she catches up. Beside them the Slytherin prefects Malfoy and Pansy are also guiding their first years down to their dungeon common room, Malfoy sneering in Eleanor's direction as they pass each other. "Jerk."
Turning her full attention to helping escort the Hufflepuffs they pass by the portrait that Eleanor knows to lead to the kitchen, stopping at a group of barrels that are half hidden in the shadows.
"So you just tap the barrel two from the bottom and second in the middle row to the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff," Eleanor says, as Ernie demonstrates this to the first years, the barrel springing open and revealing the entrance to the common room. "And do try not to forget, otherwise you'll find yourself rather wet and smelling of vinegar."
With nothing more to say Eleanor steps aside, allowing the first years to follow Ernie through to the common room, taking up the rear. Once inside Eleanor is reminded of just how cosy the common room is, a few of the older students are sitting on puffy yellow couches or by the low, round windows through which you can just make out the grass in the night sky beyond.
When they have finished showing the first years the dormitories Eleanor bids a quick farewell to Ernie and goes off to her own dorm where Cynthia is lying, sprawled out on one of the patchwork quilt covered beds, a custard coloured puffskein lying in her hand humming.
She spies her own trunk at the foot of the bed next to Cynthia's, a wicker basket perched on top, slightly open.
"I already let him out," Cynthia says, seeing where Eleanor had been looking, "He didn't hang around, went straight for the door."
Eleanor waves her hand, at ease with this information knowing that Ollie was probably in the kitchen being spoiled beyond belief by the house elves. Full bellied and tired, it didn't take long for the two girls to change into their pyjamas and climb into bed, bidding each other good night.