A/N: Bonjour! Thanks so much to all my reviewers; I always knew you were cool. Anyways! SORTING TIME!! Yay! Well enjoy and review.
Chapter 8: Am I the Only One That Can Hear the Voices?
As the trio looked out the window of the stopping train, they were breathless. After spending weeks of free time at the Burrow listening to all sorts of stories, you'd think she would have been prepared. Nope. The towers of the castle made it look eerie, but that was quickly countered by the soft glow of about a hundred windows. It looked impressive. Not scary, and certainly not unwelcoming. It just gave off a distinct air of importance. The moon was being reflected in the lake and the Giant Squid was moving beneath the surface. The small hut of Hagrid's was dark and small; he wasn't there, although smoke was gently billowing from his chimney. The only place with any sense of foreboding was the dense forest at the edge of the grounds. Willow was in no hurry to take a midnight stroll in there, no Sir.
She and Luna left talking animatedly, Ginny not far behind. They walked until they heard a shout of, "First years! First years over here!" The three girls rushed quickly over to the giant man. He recognized Ginny as a Weasley and he even seemed to recognize Willow. He had gaped at her and she distinctly heard him whisper, "Oh, Diana." She figured that he must have known her mother; she must have honestly looked exactly like her.
She got in a boat along with Ginny and Luna, the limit being three. Willow's stomach began to cramp as they approached the castle. She was excited, of course. But she was so nervous the bad parts seem to be magnified ten fold. What if she was in Slytherin? What if she was separated from Ginny? What if no one liked her?
As they departed the boats, Willow still panicking silently, a very stern looking woman approached them. She wore her hair in a tight bun and was wearing green robes with a hat and square glasses. "Thank you Hagrid." She said. He responded with a quick Yer welcome Professor McGonagall.
"Welcome first years. The start-of-term feast will begin shortly. Before you take your seats, you must first be sorted into your houses. The sorting is extremely important because your house will be something like your family. You will go to classes with your housemates , sleep in your house dormitory, and spend time in your house common room. The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. While you are here, your triumphs will earn you house points, while rule breaking will cost you points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup."
"Now I will call you in a moment. Please do try to tidy yourselves up a bit." Willow and Ginny hastily began fixing each other's hair, straitening their robes, and making sure they didn't look embarrassing. Luna, however, looked unconcerned; she was too busy looking around with an awed expression.
A few seconds later, a small boy shrieked. Several pearly-white ghosts had just come in. Another girl with dark brown hair tried touch one, but she only shivered. They seemed to not notice the first years. One in chains was speaking to a rather chubby monk, while one with a ruff was following behind alongside a very pretty woman. As they disappeared through the door, McGonagall returned.
The group entered the Great Hall and Willow's stomach bubbled uneasily. She must have looked sickly because from the table to her left the twins gave her a thumbs-up and a smile. She was too focused on not throwing up to focus on her feet, and that was her first mistake. Before she knew it, her nose connected with the ground and she was lying down. A round-faced boy sitting near Fred and George stood up. He gave her a hand, which she gladly took, blushing madly. She gave him a quick thanks before catching up with her fellow first years.
Professor McGonagall stood in front of the staff table, holding a rugged hat and standing near a stool. She placed the hat on the stool and it was silent for a moment. Then the rip opened like a mouth and it sang. Willow was so confused it was a few moments before she started listening. It sang about the founders and the houses. As she listened, she panicked. She couldn't help but wonder what house she would be placed in. Hufflepuff for her loyalty? Gryffindor for her bravery? Ravenclaw for her wit? Or even Slytherin? She didn't have an actual reason for the last one, but then again she wasn't really trying to find one.
She was snapped out of her rampage by Professor McGonagall calling out names. "Avery, Harper" was the first to be called, the dark haired girl who poked the ghost. She walked up lazily, as if she could care less. She placed the hat on her head and didn't even look remotely interested as the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" She sauntered over to the cheering table.
"Bryden, Willow" Wait, what? Willow was startled but rushed nonetheless. After tripping on her way to the stool, she placed the hat on her head. It slid all the way down to her nose.
"My, my," whispered a small voice. Willow was a bit frightened, could everyone hear it? "You are much like your parents. Intelligent like your father, yes. But also brave, like your mother. You have a desire to stay with your friends, which I can see. You most definitely have talent. Where to put you?" The hat seemed to be having a conflict; she really wanted to be just like her mother. Brave, beautiful, and smart. "Like your mother. Eh? Well then it better be GRYFFINDOR!" She was so elated she didn't even stumble as she took her seat next to Fred.
Chase, Alice became a Slytherin and Creevey, Colin became the next Gryffindor. Names were called and people were sorted. Dent, Blake became a Slytherin and not a very nice one by his looks. "Grant"… "Kricks" … "Larks"… Luna was sorted into Ravenclaw … "Mart" …" Munder" ... "Ozdin" were all sorted then twins "Parker" and "Parker" were sorted.
Then McGonagall called, "Weasley, Ginevra." Willow held her breath and felt Fred do the same. Not even ten seconds later the Hat shouted, "Gryffindor". Both Fred and Willow exhaled as Ginny rushed to sit between them.
As McGonagall cleared the stool, a man with long white hair and a matching beard stood up. "Welcome new students and welcome back to those returning. Before we begin our delicious Start-Of-Term Feast, I have a few words to say. Numbskull! Flabbergasted! Narwhal! Parsnip! Thank you." The golden plated in all the house tables filled with food.
Fred and George were all ready planning their next prank as Willow and Ginny talked about classes. A worried Hermione was sitting across from Willow.
"What's the matter Hermy?" Fred asked.
"Ron and Harry weren't on the train and now they're not here either, I'm getting awfully worried." She must have been, Willow thought, she completely ignored the whole Hermy thing. Willow was surprised she hadn't noticed earlier. When she looked at the staff table, Snape was missing too. Hermione noticed the professor's absence as well and she immediately blanched.
Soon everybody had noticed. People started whispering all kinds of rumors. The seemingly most absurd was that the pair had flown a car to Hogwarts and had just been expelled. To most this seem utterly ridiculous. Willow and the Weasleys knew one thing the others didn't: Mr Weasley owned a flying car. Their worries were only increased when McGonagall and Dumbledore were called away. Luckily, the two professors returned before the feast was over. Willow took this as a sign that no one was injured.
Professor Dumbledore stood up as the plates cleared themselves. "I would like to give a few start of term announcements. First years should be warned that the forest is strictly out of bounds and a few of our older students should remember the same," he added looking at the twins. "Mr Filch would like me to remind you there is to be no magic in the corridors between classes. There is also to be no Fanged Frisbees, to see a full list of banned items it is placed on Mr Filch's door. Quiditch trials are being held on the second week of term; if you are interested please see Madam Hooch. And lastly I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart." He stood up and gave an overzealous bow. "Well, that is all. Before we go to bed, let us sing the school song." Everyone sang in his or her own tune and tempo. Willow and Ginny joined the twins in something like a funeral march. "Ah, very nice. Now off to bed you go!" he said after they had finished.
As they followed their prefects to the common room, Willow and Ginny looked around for some sign of the missing Harry and Ron. They entered the common room, but still no sign. People had started to say they hadn't been expelled. When they finally entered the common room that night, followed by a very angry Hermione, everyone cheered. Ginny heaved a sigh of relief while Willow just shrugged it off. Percy, however, was fuming. He glared at the two with all his Prefect might. Harry and Ron disappeared up into their dormitory as quickly as possible. As they left, people slowly followed.
Willow and Ginny went to their room pretty early. Willow's bed was right next to Ginny's. She quickly changed into her pajamas before lying down. She drew the hangings and with a quick Night Ginny, she was fast asleep.
A/N #2: Well, I know its just getting started. Don't worry I'm going to start getting to the important stuff. Read and review and enjoy. Adios.