Okay, so I'm a little off-schedule, but I can honestly explain. I've been super busy with a project I'm doing for a friend that I haven't had any time to write! I know, shock, horror, bad bad me. And I'm going to Wallacks tomorrow to hopefully spend the whole day there so I won't be able to write then (my other story's fan are gonna kill me) But enjoy the sorting! And yes, I know that you briefly meet Headmaster Dippet in CoS, but I wanted to make him my own character, more fun this way, and he's less of a Dumbledore copy. Also, Emrysian is a religion totally made up by me, and based off of the few times in the books people mention Merlin's beard, or saggy left... whatever :p Cause Merlin is God (and a very sexy one at that), obviously, and should be worshipped accordingly. And/or ravished, I can't decide which yet. Colin Morgan is just too cute for his own good. Anyway, enjoy! Oh, and chapter four has had a little bit of an update, it won't kill you not to read it, it's just a little different :)
Kayleigh managed to find herself outside the Headmaster's office with little trouble, the design of the school having been kept the same for the most part. Standing outside to meet her was Professor Dumbledore, observing Kayleigh with no small amount of curiosity and amusement.
"Not having any trouble finding your way around I hope?" he asked genially.
"No, the layout is the same back home." She shrugged.
"Well that's a good thing."
"Jolly good," she sighed, slumping against a stone wall, "but I wish I could be back home right now."
"Well you'll be back at the end of the school year—" Dumbledore began.
"No, not that home." She laughed bitterly. "My real home; the one I lived in when I was in Mexico. It was always sunny there, and everybody was happy, not like here where everybody's miserable and self-loathing. Me too, come to think of it."
"Yes well, I'm sure you'll go back someday." Dumbledore said sympathetically.
"I'm not so sure," she said, "but whatever, take me to your leader and all that."
Dumbledore nodded sagely and turned to an ugly statue of a gargoyle and simply said, "Firewhiskey."
The gargoyle moved away to allow access to a spiral staircase that curved up and up and up. The duo stepped onto the stairs and it immediately began its ascension upwards.
"That's so pointless, why have stairs but turn it into those muggle things, escaplators or whatever?" Kayleigh whined as they were slowly brought towards a heavy door. "It's totally pointless!"
Dumbledore simply ignored her and opened the door to the Headmaster's office with a grand flourish. Kayleigh, who had been inside the Headmaster's office more times than she cared to admit simply stepped inside, suitably unimpressed.
"Ah, you must be Miss, err, Keyras?"
"Quieras," she corrected him sharply, annoyed at the common mispronunciation of her name.
"Yes, rightly so," said the Headmaster, "Anyway, you're new here, and err, Mexican. Good, good, all good. Now, I have to ask you for a matter of your personal safety, not that I care, because I don't, though I do care about all individual students of course, but this isn't a negative concern, simply a necessary one you see… Are you of the muggle Jewish faith?" the Headmaster looked clearly uncomfortable even asking the question, and stared at her expectantly. A quick glance to her left showed her that Dumbledore was doing the same.
"No," she said finally, "but I don't see why it should matter."
The Headmaster (Dippet, was it?) breathed a sigh of relief. "Please don't get me wrong Miss Keyras, we accept wizards of all gender, religion, and err, colour, but the muggleborns in the school are at odds with certain groups. You see, there is a muggle war going on, ridiculous thing really- with metal wands and the like, and while it doesn't affect the views of pureblooded witches or wizards, it's having a negative impact on the muggleborns and even a few of the halfbloods. Negative enough to start seventeen fights just on the train ride! And the targets are always the Jewish students so we have had to implement some protective programs for them, and so we just needed to check if you were in need of the same err, protection."
"Well, I most certainly am not Jewish, that's a filthy muggle religion, and they thank their Gods for what is clearly the work of magic!" Kayleigh spat. "I am an Emrysian through and through."
"Yes, yes, I did not mean to imply that you were anything but, I was merely confirming my, err, thought process."
"Yes well, you should know better," she sniffed, "after all, all of the pureblood families are Emrysian, are they not?"
"What? Oh, yes, of course! The old pureblood families are notorious for their belief in the Great Merlin."
"It's not a belief," Kayleigh said dangerously, "it's a fact. Just because the muggles are still debating his existence does not mean that we should too!"
"No, no, of course not, I was never implying that Merlin was not the First Wizard, simply stating that a religion is a belief, no matter the truth behind it." The Headmaster said, getting visibly uncomfortable underneath Kayleigh's accusing stare.
"So, as much fun as this discussion has been, I'm sure Miss Quieras would just like to get all settled in and catch some sleep, am I correct?" Dumbledore interrupted.
"What? Oh, yeah." Said Kayleigh distractedly, still glaring at the Headmaster.
"Yes yes, jolly good I'm sure, but we must first get you sorted. You see, here at Hogwarts we have a fairly unique system, the school is separated into houses, after the four founders you see, and each house is awarded points for good behaviour and points are taken away when you break the rules, you see? The houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but when they work together they are virtually invincible!" Headmaster Dippet boasted, a proud smile adorning his face.
"Then why separate them in the first place?" Kayleigh asked, not able to resist the temptation to wipe that smug smile off the Headmaster's face.
"What?"
"If together as a unit they are invincible, then why separate them at all? All you're doing is creating rifts, as one house is sure to think their strengths are greater than the others. You could house them all easily in one area, as opposed to separating them physically and emotionally." Kayleigh said, taking pleasure in the Headmaster's distraught face.
"Yes well, let's move on to the sorting, shall we?" Dumbledore interrupted again, this time with a warning glance at Kayleigh.
"Erm, yes." The Headmaster said, striding simply over to the Sorting Hat and picking I up reverently. "See, we don't usually accept transfer students, and I honestly can't remember accepting anyone for this year, but you're here now and there's nothing I can do… So this is all highly unusual, especially with you almost drowning and all."
"Wait, you heard about that?" Kayleigh asked.
"Of course, Madame Berger told me as soon as you came through the doors with Mr. Riddle!"
"Wait, Mr. Riddle? Tom brought me in?" Kayleigh asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Mr. Riddle is our most outstanding and upstanding student! He's a shoe-in for Head Boy next year!"Headmaster Dippet said proudly, ignoring Kayleigh's snort of disbelief.
"Anyway!" the Headmaster proclaimed loudly. "Let's move on with this shall we? I'm sure you're as eager as I am to get some sleep."
Kayleigh shrugged noncommittally, the last remaining vestiges of pain from the almost-drowning and the time travel keeping her body wide awake like the worst case of jet lag ever.
The Headmaster dropped the sorting hat on her head, the sheer size of it making it slip down her head far past her ears so she had to lift it up and carefully position it on her ears so as to make it fit comfortably.
Merlin, how big was Gryffindor's head? She wondered.
It was filled with knowledge. Came the Hats reply.
Yes, yes, of course, that's it. Seriously, where've you been? Everybody knows Gryffindor is all brawn and no brain.
You speak from experience.
Well, I know the type.
I think you do. And that's definitely not your type.
Oh twenty points to the hat! That's a correct answer! Congratulations.
Not a Hufflepuff either then, you'd eat them alive.
Been there, done that.
Yes, there is something about you that I can't put my finger on. You're quite different from the other females who've passed through these halls.
What can I say? I'm ahead of my time.
That you are. But I wouldn't say you're intelligent—
Oi!
So I guess it'll have to be…
"Slytherin!" the Hat called out to the room at large, ending the silent conversation between itself and Kayleigh.
Silence reigned for a few moments before the Headmaster simply raised an eyebrow and said, "Who didn't see that coming?"