3
The First Feast
Regina Corsica stepped out of the courtyard and hurried inside the Entrance Hall of the castle as rain began to patter more and more heavily on the ground. Thank Merlin I'm not on the boats anymore, she thought to herself, yet another reminder that this was to be her final year at the school that she had grown to call home. She padded inside quickly, heading for the Great Hall to grab a seat at the head of the Slytherin table. Slowly, students began to file in behind her and take their seats for the first feast of the year. Looking around the Great Hall, Regina noticed there were many changes from the previous year. The Great Hall had been scrubbed spotless, every suit of armour, every piece of glass, every rafter, was polished and dusted to a sparkling shine, and where the flags of each school house would normally drape from the ceiling, there were instead, the flags of various different countries, dominating the room. The flag of Great Britain hung proudly over the High Table, blocking out almost two-thirds of the windows at the back of the hall. On the left, Regina could make out the Star-Spangled Banner of the USA, and opposite hung the flag of Japan. Further down the hall, Regina could make out the flags of Brazil and Greece, but was left puzzled by some of the more obscure flags that hung down from the rafters, and decided, in her spare time, that she would work on identifying each one.
Turning to the High Table, Regina spotted the tiny figure of Professor Flitwick, to her dismay, sitting in his usual chair at the side of the Headmasters golden throne, meaning that he would remain as the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts. Regina couldn't see Malfoy in her seat, and thought for a horrifying moment that Narcissa Malfoy, former Death Eater, had been made headmaster. However, that fear was quelled a short moment later when the witch pranced in, leading a large group of First Years to the front of the hall, carrying the Sorting Hat in her hand. Malfoy explained to the students how the Sorting Hat would work, and then sat the hat onto a small stool. The audience of students waited with baited breath for the Sorting Hat to open its mouth and sing its yearly song. After a moment that Regina was sure the hat would've considered a dramatic pause, it began to sing.
'Welcome students new, and old,
timid and shy, or brave and bold!
It's another year at Hogwarts,
A chance to sing my song!
For I'm the Sorting Hat you see,
And I'll find where you belong!
Perhaps you'll be in Gryffindor,
With those brave-hearted fellows,
Or in true and loyal Hufflepuff,
With all those dressed in yellow!
Maybe you're a Ravenclaw,
With great wit and intuition,
Or to shrewd and cunning Slytherin,
Go those with great ambition!
So put me on your head
So that I can read your mind,
And once I look inside it,
Your House I'll surely find!
The Students had begun to clap, thinking this to be the end of the Sorting Hats song for another year, but the hat continued, singing in a lower, darker voice, his song now slowing down into more of a ballad.
But students be wary,
Don't lose your wits,
This year we have some competition,
From far across the sea…
The flags around this hall,
Come from seven other schools…
If we don't join together now,
They make us look like fools!
So Houses band together,
Put your squabbles to one side…
I wonder if you students,
Would help me show some Hogwarts pride…
The Sorting Hats verse tailed off, and students from around the hall joined in as it sang Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty, Hogwarts! The Sorting Hat was awarded a standing ovation as the final verse of the school hymn concluded, leaving the student body in a mixture of confusion and excitement as the Sorting Ceremony began. Regina, in her new role as Head Girl, stood to welcome the eight new Slytherin's and helped them to find a place at their table. With the sorting finished, Regina expected the new Headmaster to show, but as the main course appeared onto their table, amazing the student body with the size of its roast chicken, and the taste of the lamb chops, the Headmaster had still not taken his place at the High Table, and by the time dessert had been licked clean off of everyone's plates, Regina had begun to think that the position had been left vacant.
However, as the stars began to appear through the clouds of the enchanted ceiling, and the floating candles had all but burned through their wax, the new Headmaster of Hogwarts shimmered into view. That was the first thing that struck Regina as odd; he didn't walk through any of the doors to the Great Hall, nor did he apparate into the hall, he simply appeared out of thin air in front of the High Table, as though he had been standing there the whole time, and had decided to remove a Disillusionment Charm for a prank. But the man in front of them did not seem like the kind of man who enjoyed pulling pranks. As he appeared, all the air seemed to have been sucked out of the room, voices died down without anyone ever instructing them to be silent, the candles and torched dimmed their lights, and a strange sense of power flowed into the room, hanging over all of their heads. The man wore a regal set of dark green robes, and had shoulder-length hair that had a colour like grey ash. His chin sported a small, grey beard which tapered to sharp point just below his chest, and his eyes were incredibly black, almost devoid of any colour at all, but for a hint of white around the edges. He was a very tall man, probably well over six feet, with a thin and wiry frame, but his voice was that of a much larger man, and when he spoke, it boomed off of the walls like the sound of cannon fire.
"Good evening," he began, taking a small step forward, causing many of the students to recoil in their chairs, "I am Professor Quintius Breckenridge, and I will be your new Headmaster. I realise that Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall have left some incredibly large shoes to fill, but I promise I shall do my very best to take up their mantle." Not likely, Regina thought, with her ears still ringing from his greeting. "I realise that many of you will have questions about me, and in time I shall do my best to answer them. It has been many years since I have walked these halls, many years since have I have been outside in fact; having worked in the Department of Mysteries. How nice it is, for me to return and see so many smiling faces, eager for learning, and eager for adventure." His tone did not match his words in any way, and Regina had already formed a disliking towards their new Headmaster.
"Department of Mysteries," Julie hissed into Regina's ear, "He must've been an Unspeakable."
"Yeah, I don't reckon he'll answer many of our questions at all," Regina whispered back. She felt a tingling down the back of her neck that made her feel strangely sure that the Headmaster had heard them, though it couldn't have been possible.
"And what a year we have in store for you all!" The Headmasters voice echoed around the Great Hall once more, rattling the windows, and causing some of the candles to snuff out. "You see," he spoke softly, "this is no ordinary year at Hogwarts, as I'm told our most famous Sorting Hat foreshadowed in its song at the start of the lovely feast that I'm sorry to have missed. But before we get to that, I have a few quick announcements to make. Our caretaker, Argus Filch has asked me to remind you that the aptly named Forbidden Forest is strictly forbidden to all students, and that all Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products remain banned from the classroom. As some of you may have noticed, there has been a slight shake-up of our regular staff too. Professor Horace Slughorn, our esteemed potions master, has made the decision to step away from certain duties, and will no longer be acting as the Head of Slytherin house. This noble mantle will now be taken up by Professor Narcissa Malfoy, our teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and I hope you will all join me in wishing the Professor the best of luck."
No sooner than Professor Breckenridge had finished his sentence, a chorus of boos rang out around the hall. The Headmaster made to silence the students, with the loudest noise of all coming from the Slytherin table itself, but Malfoy held up a hand to stop him, and he let the students air their frustration. Good, Regina thought, at least she knows where we stand. "Well that was some reception," the Headmaster continued, apparently unfazed, "as well as Professor Malfoy's appointment, I am pleased to announce that Professor Rubeus Hagrid will take over Professor McGonagall's duties as head of Gryffindor house." This time the Gryffindor table applauded heartily and Hagrid gave them a shy wave with one hand whilst wiping away giant tears of joy with the other. "I myself will also fill another of Professor McGonagall's duties, as your new Professor of Transfiguration."
Many of the students looked taken aback, and there was a small sense of fear around the Great Hall at the thought of actually having classes with this man. "Now, onto the big announcement of the night," the Headmaster composed himself, and swept an arm around the room, dimming the torches slightly, as if to add to the drama. "As some of you may have noticed, there are eight flags hung around the room. Seven of these flags were sent to us by seven schools from across the Wizarding World. These seven schools, along with ourselves, will compete against one another in a most fascinating event; the Tournament of Champions!"
If the Headmaster had expected a cheerful reaction from the crowd, he would have been sourly disappointed by the faces filled with blank confusion that stared back at him. Regina, of course, had found out about Hogwarts' participation in the tournament by spying on Professor McGonagall and Harry Potter as they discussed how they would prepare the students for such a dangerous event. But she had yet to tell anyone else, and as the rest of the students found out more about the Tournament of Champions, their reactions turned from confusion to anger.
"The tournament works as follows," the Headmaster continued, "each participating school will select three champions, who will travel to each school in turn to compete in a series of exciting, but dangerous events. The champions may also select one alternate per event to compete in their place, providing that their alternate has studied on the same continent within ten years of the tournament. The Tournament of Champions is open to all those aged twelve and over." Already drawing comparisons with the TriWizard Tournament, the crowd of students gathered in the Great Hall started to voice their disapproval loudly. That's insane! One boy cried out, why in the name of Merlin would we go through an even bigger tournament? The students cheered their approval of this remark, and protests were soon heard all around the room.
"Silence." The Headmaster spoke. He didn't even raise his voice, he spoke it almost like a whisper, but the moment he did, every mouth in the Great Hall was suddenly wired shut, simply unable to make a sound. Regina felt as though something like a fuzzy cotton ball had been lodged in her throat, cutting off all noise. The Headmaster, now free of any interruption, continued, "I understand, after the events of the last TriWizard Tournament, that many of you cannot bear the thought of the school sending three more students to a similar event, but unfortunately, the decision of the International Confederation of Wizards is final. Hogwarts must compete. Now that this is clear to all of you, I shall resume informing you of the tournament."
Finally, Regina was able to open her mouth, and the fuzzy feeling in the back of her throat had vanished. Despite the charm being lifted, no student dared to raise their voice against the Headmaster again, having just been given a taste of the kind of power that he possessed. "Hogwarts must put together the strongest possible team in order to succeed in this tournament, and as such, we must select the three best champions to support our cause. These champions must be magically powerful, quick thinking, athletic, and courageous. Whilst Hogwarts has many students that fit this criteria, I have made the decision to leave the selection of our champions to an independent judge." Professor Breckenridge held out his right arm, as if he was going to grasp something from thin air. Just like the way he had entered the hall moments earlier, an all too familiar cup shimmered into existence in his hand. It was made of a heavy hewn wood, that was slightly blackened, and was set with jewels in the base. From the inside of the cup, Regina could make out a small blue flame, dancing in the dim lights of the Great Hall.
"The Goblet of Fire!" the Headmaster announced, "Today, I myself placed the names of each student over the age of twelve into the Goblet of Fire, and tomorrow evening, the goblet will decide which three students it deems most-worthy to represent our school in this Tournament of Champions!" To his credit, Professor Breckenridge did muster a few cheers from some of the students, but mostly the students whispered anxiously amongst each other, whether in excitement to watch the tournament, or fear of being chosen, Regina couldn't tell.
"Merlin's beard," Julie whispered to Regina as she led the First Year Slytherin's down to the Common Room, "Maybe me Ma' was right after all, about me not coming back like."
"Well, if you think like that, at least you won't be likely to get chosen," Regina laughed coolly. She had begun to think along the same lines herself though, and as she was reassuring the First Years that Hogwarts was a brilliant place, and they'd be having great fun all year, she began to wonder just how much of what she was telling them was actually true. Finally, as they came to the seemingly non-descript, blank piece of wall that led to the Slytherin dungeons, she turned to the group of First Years straggling behind her. "This," she said, smacking a hand onto the wall, "is the entrance to our Common Room. There are two golden rules that all four houses have at Hogwarts, number one is don't tell anyone from the other houses where your Common Room is, and number two; do not, ever, tell anyone but another Slytherin the password. If you get lost or forget the password, just look for someone in a green robe like ours, okay?" Regina's tiny gaggle of First Years nodded their heads up and down in unison, clearly amazed at everything they had seen tonight. Regina could remember back to when she must've looked exactly the same way, eager, but terrified at the same time.
"Acid Pops," Regina spoke clearly. The wall before her slid away to reveal the Slytherin Common Room. After all the strange proceedings during the feast, Regina welcomed the familiarity of the Common Room, with its large windows looking out into the depths of the Black Lake, the crackling sounds of the fire in the background, the drone of students chattering about their summer, and the sense of excitement about the upcoming term that seemed too buzz in the air. Unfamiliar to Regina was the group of nervous First Years following her around, but as Head Girl, it was her duty to make sure they were settled in. After making sure that the new students had successfully found their beds for the night, Regina could at last flop into an armchair beside the fire.
"Here," Julie said, flopping down in the chair opposite and dropping a book into Regina's lap, "finished it ten minutes ago, thought you might want a look." Regina picked up the book; The Life and Lies of Harry Potter by Rita Skeeter.
"Why would I want to read any of her drivel?" Regina said dumping the book. Julie shrugged, clearly not perturbed by Regina's scathing looks. Still, as the students began to fizzle out of the Common Room that night, Regina found herself alone, with the photo of Harry staring up at her from the floor, inviting her to read, to find out al of his supposedly dark and dangerous secrets. Sighing, Regina picked up the book and opened it to the first chapter; The Attack on Vinehill Cottage.
Authors Notes
Hi everyone!
I hope you enjoyed chapter 3, and just a quick note on the Sorting Hat's song, I would have published it with the verses properly spaced, but FF keeps deleting my formatting. Hopefully it's still easy enough to read, but it might be a little off-rhythm.
Congratulations to Michael Velloza and the guest reviewer who got my question in my last notes correct! The scene on the cover of The Life and Lies of Harry Potter by Rita Skeeter is indeed the aftermath of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Michael Velloza has been rewarded, and if the guest who also reviewed would get in touch by creating an account, I will reward you too!
I've also had a few conversations with people who have been a little worried that Harry and Ginny don't seem to have a part to play in the story, and I understand their concerns completely, but let me be the first to ensure you that Harry and Ginny both have very important roles in the story and they will feature soon! They will be absent from the 'Hogwarts Chapters' as Harry is missing, and Ginny has graduated.
Now, if any of you would be kind enough to review, I would love it if you answered a couple of questions for me!
1. What do you think of Hogwarts' new Headmaster, Professor Breckenridge?
2. Which other countries would you like to see compete in the tournament/which country are you excited to visit?
3. Who do you think will be the Hogwarts Champions?
Thanks everyone for reading, see you at the next!
IronManRidingaNimbus.