Gotc: Hopefully you all just came from the last chapter, so let's make this short! Squeaky!
Squeaky: Squeak! (Refer to previous chapter. Nothing's changed.)
Gotc: No it has not! Enjoy this special back-to-back chappie!
Harry Potter and the Order of the Rising Dragon
CHAPTER 13: History in the Making
The weather outside still hadn't seemed to make up its mind by the time they could see distant lights glowing in the darkness. Rain spit at the windows, never quite coming down as a shower nor just staying up in the clouds. The duels had long since been over, and decks safely stowed back away, by the time Hermione suggested everyone get changed. It was a challenge having nine people change in the same compartment, but with a little difficulty, everyone was in their robes just as the train began to slow to a stop. Ron and Hermione left most of their things with Harry and the others to go and supervise the disembarking and help the students get to their rightful places.
The air bit any exposed flesh in sharp contrast to the balmy weather that had been plaguing London for the last several weeks. Malik muttered some intelligible curse, before hugging his robes closer to his body as they stepped down onto the platform.
"First-years! First-years line up over here!" A woman's voice called out through the darkness. The dim light of a lantern was hardly enough to make out a good image of the woman that was herding all of the new students on small boats waiting on the lake.
"Yugi!" Hermione called out through the commotion, "You guys need to go with the first years!"
"On those little boats!?" Bakura yelled back, "I don't think so!"
"You need to be sorted!" Hermione barked back as she ushered a few students to the boats.
Now both Bakura and Malik were grumbling under their breath, both wearing an almost identical murderous expression, which probably accounted for why no one else would sit in the small boat with them as it started across the lake. There were no oars, no motor, nothing that could account for how the small wooden craft had begun to move of its own accord. Although at this point, the cold had begun to eat it's way through their robes, so no one really questioned how the boats were moving across the black water, so long as the ride didn't take long.
There was no moon in the sky, which left the night a murky black. Someone screamed from up ahead, saying they saw something in the water, but the surface was smooth as a new pane of glass with no trace of anything lurking beneath it's surface. Through the gloom, the castle finally came into view, towers reaching up into the low lying clouds, and golden light pouring from every open window. It looked like something straight from a five-year-old's storybook, but the majestic stone structure seemed to hold more mystery than the average fairytale princess would care for.
"Wow Kaiba…." Malik said, forgetting for a moment how much colder Europe was than the desert, "This place puts your mansion to shame."
"Shut up Malik."
When the boats landed on the opposite shore, an older witch in emerald green robes was the first one to "greet" the new students. From behind a pair of thin glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, she watched the students disembark from the tiny boats. She held herself with an air of absolute authority and control. She made sure from the moment every new student laid eyes on her, that they new she was not one to be trifled with.
"First years!" She called once in a crisp tone, "Follow me!"
Without another word, she turned on her heels and started up the stairs into the castle, leaving it up to the students to decide whether to follow her or not. Not wanting to be left alone in the dark, the witches and wizards-to-be all scurried after her, knotting in a tight group behind her like a school of nervous fish. Yugi and the others however, hung back from the rest of the group, not yet wanting to draw any attention to themselves, and because Malik's robe had been hung up on a nail sticking out of the boat. After a few moments of futile struggling with the stubborn protrusion, and a certain thief laughing until tears came to his eyes, the sound of ripping fabric filled the air before the group quickly followed the fading lantern into the castle.
As big as the castle had been on the outside, inside it was absolutely massive. The cathedral ceiling seemed almost a mile off of the ground, while torches and chandeliers all glowed brightly like stars in the sky. Suits of armor all stood polished and at the ready, like soldiers all waiting for a command. Marble steps lead the way to a set of massive ornately carved doors at the end of the corridor, where the witch had stopped to address the new students.
"Now, before you all sit down, you will be sorted into your houses," She started to explain, "For the next nine months, your housemates will be your family. You will eat together, succeed together, and when it is appropriate, be punished together. Keep in mind, your actions will not only affect yourselves, but your fellow housemates as well."
Her eyes drifted over the group, as if she were making extra sure she was looking into the soul of every person to drive the point home. When her gaze fell on the exchange students, she pointed a finger at them and cleared her throat to make sure she had their attention.
"You four boys will need to see me in my office after the feast to get your schedules," She said, "I'll have one of the prefects show you where Professor McGonagall's office is. Now, everyone follow me."
The massive doors opened without a command, revealing the Great Hall that lay beyond their threshold. Four long tables stretched the entire length of the hall, filled with students all wearing the same black robes and pointed black hats. Filing in from the outside, it was nearly impossible to tell who belonged to what table. While the ceiling had seemed to stretch to the sky in the last corridor, in the hall, the sky was the ceiling. Heavy grey clouds moved sluggishly overhead, while thin white candles floated in mid air amongst them. The rafters could just barely be seen through the clouds, but they kept fading in and out of focus like a bad movie. At the very end of the hall an fifth table had been set up perpendicular to the other four, and a dozen witches and wizards all sat patiently waiting for the new arrivals. McGonagall brought the students to a stop, before moving forward to place an ancient looking wizard's hat on a simple wooden stool. There were more patches on the worn-out fabric than was left of the original material, and a wide rip could be seen just above the frayed brim.
The constant drone of conversation quickly died away in to utter silence, as veterans and student's alike waited for the Sorting Ceremony to begin. The rip opened up like a mouth and the hat began to speak with a voice that rang clear in the Hall.
"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 some day 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 duelling and with jighting
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 / must fulfil my duty
And must quarter everv 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 broke out amongst the students, but there was an undertone of confused mutterings and questions before McGonagall regained the silence in the room by calling out the first name.
"Abercrombie, Euan."
A terrified boy stumbled forward and onto the wooded stool, while Professor McGonagall lowered the tattered old hat down onto his head. A tense moment passed, before the hat screamed:
"Gryffindor!"
A roar of cheers went up from a nearby table, as the boy went to go sit with his new housemates. One by one the line slowly began to dwindle away to nothing, as the students were all sorted into their appropriate houses until only Yugi, Bakura, Malik and Kaiba were left waiting. McGonagall took a quick glance at her Parchment before re-addressing the students.
"Students! This year we have four new students transferring to Hogwarts," She said, "And while they may not be sorted into your own house, I want everyone here to make them feel as welcome as you would any other new student."
With that she quickly turned back to her sheet of parchment, and called out the next name.
"Bakura, Ryou!"
Yugi could see Bakura falter for a moment, before starting towards the stool with more apprehension than he'd shown all day. He realized the thief king must have given control back to Ryou as he took an uneasy seat.
The hat dropped down onto Ryou's head, covering his eyes, and strangely cutting off his connection to the outside world.
"Hmmmm….Interesting." The Hat's voice echoed in his mind, "A mind split in two. Two personalities inhabiting one soul it would seem… One shy, yet kind and courageous, while the other is cunning and ancient. How strange indeed."
((Just hurry up and judge the boy.)) Bakura snapped, ((I want nothing to do with this experience….))
"Suit yourself…GRYFFINDOR!"
Ryou sighed with relief, and slid off of the stool to go and join the cheering table to watch the others be sorted.
"Ishtar, Malik!"
Not quite as worried as Ryou had been, Malik crossed the gap separating himself and the hat and took a seat, as the hat dropped onto his head.
"How odd…Just like your friend…Two minds shared in one body…But you are not as divided. You both strive for the same goal. Neither wanting to be forgotten to the decay of time, neither wanting to be left in the darkness. Powerful ambitions….Yes. I know where to put you…SLYTHERIN!"
The Slytherin table burst into cheers as Malik strode over to sit with his new house. He could have sworn he saw a small group at the end of the table give him vengeful looks, but he didn't have any time to ponder about it as McGonagall called the next name.
"Kaiba, Seto!"
Kaiba looked as if he were more annoyed than anything at how long this sorting process actually took. He needed all of three seconds to get to the stool and waited impatiently for his turn under the Hat's scrutiny.
"Awful sure of yourself aren't you?" Came the Hat's voice, "Not like your friends though, no one else sharing your mind. A brilliant mind it is too, but it's your heart that's been split…One clinging to cold logic, the other towards the human emotion your mind refuses to acknowledge. You could learn from that, but still….Better be… RAVENCLAW!"
Kaiba was indifferent as he strode over to the Ravenclaw's table, where he was promptly swarmed by a group of fawning third years, much to his chagrin. Yugi would have laughed, if McGonagall hadn't called his name next. Yugi swallowed hard, but walked calmly over to the stool where the hat was waiting. For a moment he was worried the thing would get hung up on his hair, but it didn't seem to be a problem as it dropped down over his eyes.
"Another one eh? Strange magic you and your friends have about you…Powerful stuff. You're just like your friend though…Of course your priorities are a bit different. A goal, a purpose, not to be remembered, but to help return one's memories. Loyal and brave, even though you may not think so…GRYFFINDOR!"
A smile crossed Yugi's face as he nearly ran to join Ryou at the Gryffindor table, along with Harry, Ron and Hermione. They were all congratulating their new housemates, when the Headmaster rose to his feet, and began the feast. Food magically appeared all over the tables, and the students wasted no time grabbing as much as they could fit onto one plate. There were even a few dishes from Japan, which Ryou and Yugi loaded up on. It was peaceful in a chaotic sort of way. Everyone talked like the family McGonagall said they would be, they shared their summers, their home lives, new developments in their own little worlds.
When at last everyone had stuffed themselves full to bursting, the Headmaster rose to his feet once more, and the chatter of the room drew silent.
"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," said Dumbledore, "First I would like to point out that-"
A sudden crash outside the Great Hall doors interrupted the Headmaster' speech. Students and teachers all exchanged worried looks as the first noise was accompanied by another, louder one. It sounded as if someone was trying to smash their way through the solid stone floors of the castle, before there was the metallic sound of metal on stone. Several teachers were on their feet by this point, all pulling out their wands to face any threat, when a man came hurdling through the massive doors.
He tumbled head over heals, before he smashed hard into the Hufflepuff table. The students screamed and scattered away from this intruder, as he rubbed the spot where his head had smashed against the wood. Two suits of armor, one holding a mace, the other a battleaxe, came thudding through the door next, charging after the intruder. One raised its axe as it barreled towards this new threat, giving the man only a second to roll out of its path. There was a dull thump, as the battleaxe was lodged in the heavy wood of the table, leaving its owner struggling to free his weapon.
"HA!" He yelled triumphantly, before the mace went whizzing past his head, missing it by a hair.
The man spun around on his heel, and angrily tacked the suit around the wait, knocking them both to the floor in a deafening crash. The suit managed to swing at him once before it hit the ground, but instead of hitting it's intended target, the weapon slammed into the other suit's helm, leaving it to fall into a crumpled pile of metal. It took the man another two seconds to dispatch the last one, as he shoved his foot just underneath the armor's visor and gave a terrific heave, sending the helm flying across the room.
Only when the armor lay still, did he get back to his feet. His blue jean jacket was covered in dust from the floor, and his midnight black hair stuck out in all directions as a consequence from his recent encounter with the angry metal men. It took a moment for him to catch his breath, brush the pale coating of dust off of his shoulders, and put himself back in order, before he turned to the Head table
"Dumbledore!" The man yelled, "Is there anything else on these grounds that is going to try and take my head off?"
"Glad to see you were able to make it Professor," Dumbledore chuckled, as a ripple of confused chatter ignited in the hall, "I hope you are mostly intact?"
"Yeah, but not for lack of trying…" The man grumbled, wiping a thin trail of blood from his lip, "Trees aren't supposed to swing at you ya know…."
"I do apologize sincerely for the inconvenience," Dumbledore nodded, ignoring the incredulous look the toad-ish professor in the pink cardigan was giving him, "Students, please return to your seats. There is no cause for alarm."
The Hufflepuffs all tentatively returned to the table, although no one wanted to sit near the giant axe still half buried in the table. Dumbledore smiled, as the man shoved both hands into his pockets and strode through the rows of tables towards the headmaster. Several students started whispering frantically as he passed, but it didn't quite reach the ears of those who wanted to hear it most, before Dumbledore beat them to it.
"Everyone! I am pleased to introduce three new additions to the Hogwarts teaching staff. 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 Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," The Headmaster said gesturing to each teacher in turn, "As well as our most recent arrival, Professor Cooper, who will be assisting Professor Umbridge with the Defence Against the Dark Arts class this year."
The confused musings that had pocketed the hall, now erupted into full-blown roar of gossip that engulfed the entire hall. Yugi and Ryou exchanged questioning looks with Harry, Ron and Hermione, only to be met by similar stares.
"What's the big deal?" Ryou asked, "Isn't he just another teacher."
"I don't know," Hermione said, "I mean everyone thinks the Defense Against the Dark Arts position is cursed."
"We've had a new teacher every year since we've been here," Harry said.
"What happened?" Yugi asked.
"One's dead, the other had his mind wiped, not that there was much to start with," Ron ticked off on his fingers, "Third was a werewolf, well you guys met Lupin, and the last one turned out to be working for You-Know-Who, but was disguised as Moody."
"That creepy guy with the weird eye?"
"Yeah," Harry said, looking closely at the new Professor shaking hands with Dumbledore, "But we've never had two teachers at once before-"
"Do you even know who that guy is!" Seamus leaned over, his eyes flicking back and forth between Cooper and Harry.
"Should we?" Hermione asked.
"That's Ace Johannes Cooper! Five time champ of the World Martial Arts Tournament! The man's a legend! I just watched him fight in London before the start of the term!" Seamus sputtered.
"Big deal," Ron said taking a swig of pumpkin juice, "So Dumbledore finally found someone who might actually be able to teach us something."
"Ron!" Seamus tried one last time, "He's a muggle!"
Gotc: Aaaaaannnnnnnd, cut!
Ace: Time to stir up trouble….
Gotc: Indeed! Remember folks, two chappies for the price of one, so maybe you'll leaveme some nice reviews, yes? Anyway, remember to stop by this fic's discussion thread and speculate about what kind of mayhem I've got in store for the next chappie! Later!