Hello all! I'm back again with a very long chapter. There is quite a bit of canon, but this should be the last one like this. Because after this, the chapters will focus more on Riley and the mayhem she causes for the poor teachers. :)
EDIT: 1/29/2012
So… I've got nothing to add…
Disclaimer: I am but a poor, poor 16 year old with nothing better to do then write random story's for kicks and giggles... so no I don't own anything but that which I created(my OC's) :P
Chapter Three: Bickering with Hats
The three first years pushed their way off the train nervously and shivered as the cold night air hit them. The platform was well lit for being outdoors. Students were everywhere running this way and that. Riley didn't have a clue where she was supposed to go until she saw a lamp come bobbing over the heads of the students, and she heard a voice call: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. Riley almost laughed at how small he made all the students look; even the older ones.
"C'mon, follow me – anymore firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. The complete darkness on either side of them made Riley think there were probably thick trees there or something. Nobody spoke much out of nervousness. One boy with a round face and dark hair, sniffed once or twice, but over all they kept quiet. It was like they were afraid speaking would make everything disappear, like it was too good to be true to finally be at Hogwarts. That's what Riley was thinking, at least.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "Jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud "Oooooh!"
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. It was far better then any castle Riley had ever seen in person or on TV. Movies had nothing on this.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry, Ron and Riley were followed onto their boat by Sniffles.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself, "Right then- FORWARD!"
The fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. Riley though, had become distracted by the lake. She was sure something moved under them; something big. She tried to push that thought away, like this was anytime to be thinking about Nessie like monsters in Hogwarts' lake.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff. They all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. Riley couldn't help but wonder if Hanna-Barbera came here for Scooby-Doo inspiration; it was honestly the perfect place for such a thing. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. Riley suddenly had a feeling like she was going to run into a real life Batman.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" asked Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
"Trevor!" cried Sniffles blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Riley immediately knew that it must be Professor McGonagall. Moony had warned Riley about how strict she was and not to cross her if she could help it.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of Andromeda's house in it and more. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. Riley couldn't help but think that this would be an awesome place to play a mass game of hide and seek, though getting lost here had to suck.
They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Riley could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here – but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall, "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses."
Riley let her mind wonder as McGonagall talked about the four houses (Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor) and how you could earn points and lose points for your house.
Riley had already gotten this speech from Moony in one of his Prefect moods. She really didn't like his Prefect moods, because he was much too responsible and didn't cause as much chaos with her. But he told her that because of his Prefect mood, he got in a lot less trouble then his friends at school. No one would believe that such a responsible young man could be such a troublemaker. That was when Riley figured out that Remus was really a mad genius, and she was exceedingly glad she had him on her side.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting," Her eyes lingered for a moment on Sniffles cloak, which was fastened under his left ear (how did he...?), and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair but just made it messier. Riley didn't bother trying to fix her hair, she knew it wouldn't work. Besides, she loved her wild mess of curls.
"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly," Professor McGonagall said before she left the chamber.
"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry asked Ron and Riley.
"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking," Ron said.
Riley snorted, she was sure the teachers wouldn't do anything that would hurt the students, but she didn't tell Ron and Harry that. Instead, she started listing off magical creatures that they might have to fight.
After making Ron go completely pale with fear (she'd noticed he went particularly pale when she'd mentioned Acromantulas, a type of giant spider, and decided to file that in her mind to address later). Riley looked around and to her amusement saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except the bossy girl from the train, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.
Soon even Riley started to get nervous. She knew the teachers would never make them do something dangerous, but she couldn't help but worry. After all, it was the test that determined who you were going to be stuck with for the rest of your schooling and to some degree, how you were going to be viewed in the world after school. Who wouldn't be nervous?
The more she tried to calm herself the more crazy her thoughts got. What if they did have to do some sort of test? What if she didn't get picked for a house at all? She kept her eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead them to their doom. Despite her freaking out, she could still hear the "duh, duh, DUH!" in the back of her mind.
Then something happened that made her jump about a foot in the air and made several people behind them scream.
"What the –?" Harry gasped. So did the people around them. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves. He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights said suddenly noticing the first years.
Nobody answered. Riley opened her mouth to make some smart-alack remark (I mean really why else would they be there?) but decided against it. She didn't fancy having a ghost be offended by her big mouth. She knew the more nervous or scared she was, the more sarcastic she got.
"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them, "About to be Sorted, I suppose."
A few people nodded mutely.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar, "My old house, you know."
"Move along now," said a sharp voice, "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and Riley behind Ron. They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Riley could have never imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting; all of them looking rather intimidating in their own ways.
Professor McGonagall led the first years up there, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.
The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Riley looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. She heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.
Riley looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.
Riley stared at it, not really knowing what she was waiting for. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
(Oh, don't worry I don't, thought Riley)
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find,
A smarter hat than me.
(Now I want to find a smarter hat,)
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
(Oh, really? I happen to like top hats very much, for your information)
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
(Because that's not creepy, Riley thought, not being able to stop a small smirk from forming on her face.)
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
(Who uses the word 'toil' anymore?)
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
(Isn't that kind of contradictory?)
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
(How do you get in a flap?)
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry, "I'll kill Fred; he was going on about wrestling a troll."
Harry smiled weakly. All they had to do is try on a hat? Riley was slightly disappointed. She was mostly nervous over nothing.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said, "Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause - "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Riley saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy," Went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender," became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.
"Bulstrode, Millicent," then became a Slytherin. Watching the table greet the girl rather subdued like, Riley thought they seemed like a rather unpleasant lot.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Sometimes, Riley noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione!" Bossy girl from the train practically ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.
Finally "Langley, Riley," was called.
She walked up to the stool with her head held high, and a smile on her face that she hoped didn't betray her nervousness. Right before the hat covered her eyes, Riley winked at the twin's who were grinning at her from the Gryffindor table.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Riley jumped when she heard the foreign voice in her ear, "Hm… yes… you've been through a lot haven't you? Watched one parent die, the other in prison."
Yeah, it's been hard but can we move on? I've been thinking about this for awhile and I think I would like to go to Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. I don't fancy looking like a bumble bee, so no to Hufflepuff, they probably wouldn't like me anyways.
"Really now...? And what of Slytherin? You could do well there."
Absolutely not! I'm not an arrogant, slithering, snake.
"Yet youposses many of the Slytherin traits; you are cunning and resourceful and you show some ambition. Like I said, you would do well there."
No. Absolutely not. Besides they wouldn't like me anyways. I like muggles and muggle things too much. Riley had a feeling the Hat was trying to mess with her, and sadly, she knew it was working... stupid Hat.
"Maybe. I believe your right about Hufflepuff though. You're loyal and honest, but much too reckless."
Thank you. She knew the Hat didn't mean that as a complement, but she didn't care.
"Are you sure you would want to go to Ravenclaw? You don't seem like the studious type to me."
Well, it depends on what I'm studying.
"Planning for mischievous endeavors doesn't count, but I can see potential in you."
See? I could do well there. Besides, they like crazy, don't they?
And so the bickering went on. Every once in a while the hat would laugh, or hum out loud. After around five minutes people had started to talk among themselves, and then, finally, the Hat came to a decision.
"Yes, there is only one house fit for one as bold as you. I shall put you in GRYFFINDOR!"
Riley smiled in relief, whipped the hat off her head and skipped to the table to sit next to Hermione.
"You were up there for a long time, what happened?" Hermione asked.
Riley shrugged with a smile, "Me and the Hat couldn't come to an agreement is all."
When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."
Riley zoned out after that, wondering whether she could find who made the food and convince them to make breakfast the next day only green eggs and ham. She only focused again when she heard;
"Potter, Harry!" As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
The whispers only stopped when McGonagall dropped the hat over Harry's eyes. The whole hall seemed to be holding their breath as they waited to see where he'd go.
While Riley waited she got a good look at the teachers, trying to put faces to names she heard from Moony and Tonks' stories. At the farthest end of the table from Riley, was a rather odd looking professor. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban and he seemed very nervous about something. Next to the turbaned professor, was a surly looking man, with long greasy hair and a large hooked nose. The man was watching Harry with a look Riley couldn't quite identify, but it gave Riley a bad feeling.
Dumbledore sat at the center of the table watching the in hall with intelligent eyes and a warm smile. He was wearing robes of a deep purple that made his silver beard shine brighter then the ghosts. Riley couldn't help the smile that took over her face. Not just anyone could pull off purple robes like that and still easily command respect from those around them. At the other far end of the teachers table near the Gryffindors, sat Hagrid, who caught her eye and gave her a bright smile.
It wasn't until Riley finished her observations of the teachers that the hat finally called: "GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He looked completely relieved to have been put in Gryffindor. He probably didn't even notice that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Riley quickly stood up and whistled and cheered with the others.
Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff they'd seen earlier, and next to Riley. Harry shivered noticeably as the ghost patted his arm.
Now there were only four people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry and Riley at the Gryffindor table.
"Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Riley saw Harry cross his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry clapped loudly and Riley whistled as Ron collapsed into the chair next to them.
"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin.
Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. Riley looked down at her empty gold plate, silently begging it to fill with food. She hadn't eaten since the brownies that morning, so she was starving.
Dumbledore got to his feet then. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.
"Welcome," he said, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" And with that he sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered, none more than Riley as Dumbledore had always been one of her heroes.
"Is he—a bit mad?" Harry asked Riley uncertainly.
"Mad?" said Riley laughing, "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yeah. That's what makes him so great! Potatoes, Harry?" She giggled as Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of them were now piled with food. It was amazing.
"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak, "Can't you—"
"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost, "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service: resident ghost of GryffindorTower."
"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly, "My brothers told me about you— you're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy—" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.
"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.
"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So— new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year. Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable— he's the Slytherin ghost."
Riley looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. She definitely didn't think that was Casper the Friendly Ghost. He was right next to Malfoy who, Riley was pleased to see, didn't look too happy with the seating arrangements.
"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.
"I've never asked," Nearly Headless Nick replied delicately.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding. As Riley pigged out on chocolate éclairs, the talk turned to their families.
"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus, "Me dad's a muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." The others laughed.
"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.
"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me—he pushed me off the end of Blackpoll pier once, I nearly drowned—but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced—all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here—they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."
Riley frowned. He's not serious is he? That's awful!
On Riley's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult—"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing—")
Riley looked up at the teachers table. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. The odd Professor, in his absurd turban, was talking to the hooked nosed teacher, Riley thought might be the Professor Snape that Tonks often complained about.
"Ouch!" Harry yelled as he clapped a hand to his head.
Riley whipped her head around to look at him, "What is it?"
"N-Nothing,"
Riley frowned again. That obviously wasn't nothing, but she decided against interrogating him for now.
"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" Harry asked Percy.
"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job, Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."
"Yeah, he's pretty nasty from what I've heard," Riley said. Harry nodded but kept watching Snape for a while.
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent instantly.
"Ahem—just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well," Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins, who just smirked at each other, "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year; the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death," Harry laughed and a few others laughed a bit nervously. Riley, on the other hand, was staring at Dumbledore, willing him to tell them more about it; her mind whirling with the possibilities of what could be in the corridor.
"He's not serious," She heard Harry mutter to Percy.
"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore, "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere—the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."
Riley hummed in thought for a moment before pushing it to the side. She was too sleepy to be thinking so much.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed, and pointed it out to Riley, who laughed with him.
Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" And the school bellowed:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.
Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.
"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes, "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Riley was too sleepy to notice or care that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Riley was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.
A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.
"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years, "A poltergeist."
He raised his voice, "Peeves—show yourself!" A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.
"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.
"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle, "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped suddenly at them. They all hastily ducked.
"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.
Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.
"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again, "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are." At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she asked.
"Caput Draconis," Percy answered, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it—Neville needed a leg up—and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.
Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase—they were obviously in one of the towers—they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up.
Two girls Riley learned were named Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil started chatting while the rest of them got ready for bed. Riley already didn't like them; they were keeping her from her precious sleep. Didn't they know that?
She climbed into a bed between Hermione and a mousey looking girl with light brown hair that fell in her face and light blue eyes, whose name was Ali Day. Riley lay down and tried to ignore the girls chatting.
After about twenty minutes Riley had enough. She sat up and yelled; "Oh for the love of Morgana's red dress shut your traps!"
Lavender and Parvati stared at her with their mouths agape.
After a minute Hermione burst into giggles, and a second later so did Riley and Ali. Lavender and Parvati huffed but got ready for bed in silence. This was going to be a long seven years, Riley thought as she fell asleep.
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