Okay guys, I'm super excited (and I hope this makes up for my not posting as often as I should) but this is my LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! Yes, it is! Over 3,000 words in it! Please tell me what you think of it, and enjoy the story!
Harry spit the Mimbulus Mimbletonia Stinksap out of his mouth and wiped off his glasses.
"Sorry, guys," Neville said, setting down the plant he had poked on the floor of the compartment.
"It's alright, Neville," Ginny said. Luna's eyebrows were furrowed as she tried to clean the slimy substance off of her magazine, the Quibbler. Harry was already having a rotten day, and he was really upset that Neville had to go and show them his new plant's "amazing trick." What made it worse was Cho Chang chose that moment to open the compartment door.
"Oh, hi, Harry," she said, a look of revolt and confusion evident on her face as she took in the scene. The smell of the pus alone was enough to drive anyone away.
"Um, this doesn't seem like a good time," she said, slowly closing the door, "I'll just… Come back later, then,"
"Oh, great," Harry said when the door was shut and her footsteps were heard fading away. "That's just wonderful," Ginny took out her wand.
"Scourgify," she said, flicking it. The Stinksap vanished.
Another hour passed and finally Ron and Hermione arrived, missing the food trolley. Harry, Ginny, and Neville had finished their Pumpkin pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog cards when the compartment door slid open and they walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon in his cage.
"I am starving," Ron said, stowing Pigwideon next to Hedwig and grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry, throwing himself into the seat next to him. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the frog's head, and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had a very exhausting morning.
"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House, one boy and one girls," Hermione said.
"And you'll never guess who's a Slytherin prefect," Ron said, not bothering to open his eyes.
"Hmm. How about Malfoy?" Harry said, pretending to think about it.
"Of course," said Ron bitterly, stuffing the rest of the frog into his mouth and taking another.
"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," Hermione said viciously, "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll…"
"Who's Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.
"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," said Ron thickly.
"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," said Hermione.
"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," Luna said from behind them, deeply immersed in The Quibbler.
"Uh, yeah," Harry said, "I know I did,"
"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna continued, "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded. I don't like dancing very much," They were quiet for a moment.
Ron checked his watch and said, "We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something,"
"Ron!" Hermione said sharply, "We're not supposed to abuse our position,"
"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," Ron said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"So you're going to descend to his level?"
"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine,"
"For heaven's sake, Ron -"
"I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing," Ron lowered his voice to a grunt, imitating Goyle, and said, "I… Must… Not… Look… Like… A … Baboon's… Backside,"
Everyone laughed, but Luna Lovegood laughed so hard her magazine slipped off her lap. Harry picked it up off the ground and saw the table of contents, an article immediately caught his eye. Sirius Black: Villain or Victim?
"Can I look at this?" He asked Luna. She nodded and he flicked to the page next to the article title.
SIRIUS - Black As He's Painted?
Notorious Mass Murderer OR Innocent Singing Sensation?
For fourteen years Sirius Black has been believed guilty of the mass murder of twelve innocent Muggles and one wizard. Black's audacious escape from Azkaban two years ago has led to the widest Manhunt ever conducted by the Ministry of Magic. None of us have ever questioned that he deserves to be recaptured and handed back to the dementors.
BUT DOES HE?
Startling new evidence has recently come to light that Sirius Black may not have committed the crimes for which he was sent to Azkaban. In fact, says Doris Purkiss, of 18 Acanthia Way, Little Norton, Black may not even have been present at the killings.
"What people don't realize is that Sirius Black is a false name," says Mrs. Purkiss. "The man people believe to be Sirius Black is actually Stubby Boardman, lead singer of the popular singing group The Hobgoblins, who retired from public life after being struck in the ear by a turnip at a concert in Little Norton Church hall nearly fifteen years ago. I recognized him the moment I saw his picture in the paper. Now, Stubby couldn't possibly have committed those crimes, because on the day in question he happened to be enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with me. I have written to the Minister of Magic and am expecting him to give Stubby, alias Sirius, a full pardon any day now,"
Harry stared at the page for a moment, wondering if the Quibbler printed spoof items, but a brief glance at the other articles told him otherwise.
"Anything good in there?" Ron asked as Harry closed the magazine and handed it back to Luna.
"Of course not," Hermione said scathingly, "The Quibbler is nothing but rubbish, everyone knows that,"
"Excuse me," Luna said, her voice immediately losing it's dreamy quality, "My father's the editor,"
"Oh," Hermione said, looking embarrassed, "Well… It's got some interesting… I mean, it's quite…"
Luna glared at her coldly and began reading again, turning to page fifty-seven and turning it upside down, disappearing behind it.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the sky grew dark.
"We'd better change," said Hermione, glancing out the window, "We'll be arriving soon," They each threw on their robes and waited. As soon as the train stopped Ron and Hermione exited the carriage, as they were supposed to be supervising. The rest of the group left a minute later, and stepped out onto the crowded platform. Harry waited for a moment, listening for a familiar rough voice to call, "Firs' years over here, Firs' years," but it didn't come. Instead, a quite different voice, a brisk female one, was calling, "First years line up over here, please! All first years to me," A lantern came swinging into view and Harry saw by its light the prominent chin and severe haircut of Professor Grubbly-Plank, the witch who had taken over Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class for a while the previous year.
"Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked out loud.
"I don't know," Ginny replied, "but we'd better move, otherwise there might not be any empty carriages,"
"Oh, yeah," Harry said, and together he, Luna, Ginny, and Neville set out through the station, all the while looking for their half giant friend. They eventually made it to the path where the carriages were parked and Harry froze. Because there wasn't empty space in front of the carriages, oh no, there was something else. Black, skeletal horses with glowing eyes were whinnying and snorting, pawing at the ground and tossing their manes.
"What're those?" Harry said, Hermione and Ron finally catching up with them.
"What are what?" Ron asked.
"The things pulling the carriages,"
"Harry," Hermione said, "there's nothing pulling the carriages," Harry gaped at them. How could they not see the giant horses standing less than two meters away from them?
"Come on, let's just get in," Ron said.
"Don't worry," Luna said as she walked past Harry, "I can see them, too," Harry looked at her curiously for a moment, before deciding to let the matter drop and climb into the carriage. He would ask Hagrid about the creatures after the feast, surely his friend would be there then.
The ride up to the castle was slow and no one felt like talking much. Luna was once more immersed in her magazine, wearing a strange pair of glasses she called "Spectrospecs," Neville was holding his plant tightly, stroking it a bit, Ron kept readjusting his Prefect badge and Hermione was casting worried glances at Harry.
Finally, they arrived at the gates, and the group jumped down and hurried into the castle with the he rest of the crowd. There was much talking and joyful faces, and the Great Hall was crowded with students. Harry immediately glanced at the table, but was once again disappointed with the absence of the large figure of Hagrid. They were just looking for a place to sit when they heard a joyous exclamation from Hermione, who pointed down the Gryffindor table. There sat the Doctor, Amy, Rory, and River, the Doctor waving enthusiastically in their direction. Harry's smile fell a bit when he saw the Doctor's sleeve on his robe slip, revealing the bandages beneath, but he quickly brushed that thought off. He was in no mood to remember the large pile of bodies that had appeared. They took their seats next to the exchanges, each congratulating them on making Gryffindor.
"The thing wanted to put me in Slytherin!" River exclaimed, "but a few well placed death threats had it changing its mind rather quick," Harry hoped she was joking. A quick look at Ron and Hermione told him they were thinking the same thing.
A moment later, the door to the Great Hall swung open, and Professor McGonagall lead in a group of terrified looking first years. She stopped them in the middle of the aisle and continued herself to the front, where the Sorting Hat was sitting atop a stool. Harry waited a moment, preparing for the hat's song, and finally the tear on the brim of the clothing piece opened and the words flew out,
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 a teach!"
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be decided
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 all 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 diffences 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
We're 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 seems 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
We're 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 writhing
I have told you, I have warned you….
Let the Sorting now begin.
Harry didn't pay very much attention during the Sorting, he was too busy contemplating the hat's mysterious song. "Though condemned I am to split you still I worry that it's wrong," had the Sorting Hat always believed that splitting up the kids was a terrible idea? If so, why hadn't he said anything to any of the headmasters? And did the hat really want some bonding time between Slytherin and Gryffindor? He thought about this for quite a while, at least until the sorting ended and Dumbledore stood. The hall fell quite quickly and waited for their headmaster to speak.
"To our newcomers, welcome! To our old hands, welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!" He said. Harry was instantly grateful that Dumbledore had decided to wait to give his long speech until later, because he was starving! The chocolate frogs he had had on the way in were in no way an adequate substance for the day. There were roast and turkeys, potatoes, carrots, boats of gravy, all sorts of delicious foods. And then, directly in front of the doctor was… A plate of fish fingers and a bowl of custard. The boy was happily scooping up the custard with his fish fingers and eating them, Amy looking at him with a spark of amusement in her eyes and Rory with his head in his hands, though he was shaking with laughter at the wild stares the Doctor was attracting. Not to mention he would take several bites at a time, causing his cheeks to puff out and Hermione to continually hand him napkins, she covering her own mouth. Eventually, the plates cleared away. Harry had had his fill but Ron looked very annoyed at having his dinner taken away prematurely. Dumbledore stood up once more and cleared his throat.
"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices. First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students-and a few of our older students ought to know that too. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the found hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door. We have two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher,"There was a polite applause, and Dumbledore continued,
"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the-"
"Hem, hem," Dumbledore was interrupted by Professor Umbridge, who stood up and smiled, though it did not reach her eyes. She had a very toad like appearance and was dressed in pink head-to-toe, even a pink little bow sitting atop her curly brown hair, looking very much like a fly. Dumbledore gazed at her curiously while the students murmured about how Dumbledore was never interrupted.
Dumbledore, however, simply said, "I believe Professor Umbridge wishes to say a few words."
Umbridge walked forward, and said, "Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking back at me. I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"
"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan" Harry heard Parvarti Patil say from farther down the table. Apparently, Umbridge heard as well and her face scrunched up in momentary frustration, before it smoothed out and she continued.
"Hem, hem. The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honored by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching. Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested tradition s often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation…
"Bla Bla Bla. Can we get some food back out here, please?" The Doctor asked.
"Doctor, a teacher is speaking," Rory said.
The Doctor nodded, "Yes, but she isn't saying anything useful. Just a load of government mumbo jumbo,"
Hermione glared at him and said, "Doctor, this might be important!"
Amy rolled her eyes, "Or, it could just be a load of junk," she said. On the other side of the Great Hall Luna had gotten out the Quibbler and continued reading.
Ul at the Teacher's table, Umbridge was still speaking, "Because some changes will be for the better, while other will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned., Let us move forward, then into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited," she finally finished and sat back down
"Finally." Amy said.
Dumbledore, who had apparently sat down, stood back up, and continued with his own speech, "Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating. Now, as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held…"
"Yes, it certainly was illuminating." Hermione said.
"You're not telling me you enjoyed it? That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy." Ron said.
Hermione said, "I said illuminating, not enjoyable. It explained a lot."
"Did it?" Harry asked, "Sounded like a load of waffle to me."
"There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle." Hermione said.
"Was there?" Ron asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes, and asked, "How about 'progress for progress's sake must be discouraged' How about 'pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited?',
"Well, what does that mean?" Ron asked, his eyes lighting up momentarily as the desserts appears on the table and he immediately began loading his plate with food.
"I'll tell you what it means." Hermione said, "It means the Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts."