A/N: I am sorry it's taken so long to get this up. AP exams are coming up and it's like all my teachers suddenly realized they hadn't finished the textbook. I'm not going to make any promises about the next chapter.

Chapter Four: Introductions

"NEWTs are—" Hermione stopped talking mid-sentence, something that had never happened in Ron's or Harry's ready memory. In fact, the behavior was so starling, Harry immediately followed her eye-line with his hand inching toward his wand.

"Who are they?" Ron asked, just as Harry was about to ask the same thing.

Hermione started saying something, but Harry was too busy studying the new faces at the head table to notice.

The woman in the traditional DADA seat was looking at him and Harry felt this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach as he stared into the woman's eyes. They were a deep emerald and were heavy with so many emotions, Harry couldn't concentrate. The eyes were oddly familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd seen them. The longer he tried to remember, the farther the memory seemed to slip. He yanked himself away from their hypnotizing depth, instead focusing on her face as a whole.

She was pretty and young, no older than thirty-five with golden-brown hair that glinted dark red when she turned her head to watch the other new face place the sorting hat on the stool. Her movement jarred Harry out of his trance and he switched his focus to the man.

He looked to be the same age as the woman, with the same mixture of unidentifiable emotions. He had short, semi-curly, brown hair that seemed out of control, despite its length. He had a strong jaw and when he started reading the list of the new first years, Harry noticed his voice was a rich baritone that he almost recognized.

"Isn't he in the Order?" Hermione asked softly from her position to his right as soon as the sorting hat had finished its song.

Harry jumped and looked at his best friend. "What?"

Hermione opened her mouth to repeat her question, but was interrupted by the sorting hat shouting, "RAVENCLAW!" She tried again, but this time something under the table distracted Harry. Confused, he bent down to see what in the world was happening, and was met by the brightest hazel eyes he'd ever seen.

He jumped back so quickly, he smashed his head into the table, startling the Gryffindors near him. "Ouch!"

"Shush!" the girl said, flapping her hands in the way only a five year-old could. "They'll find us!"

"Who's 'they'? Who's 'us'?" Harry asked, more confused than ever.

"Shush!" The girl pressed her finger against her mouth before returning to pulling Harry's shoelaces out of their knot.

"Stop that!" Harry cried, trying to pull his shoe away.

"Harry, who are you talking to?" Hermione asked.

Harry sat back up. "The girl under the table."

Ron spat out the food he'd just stuffed into his mouth. "You okay, mate?"

Harry tried to shake the little hands off his shoelaces again before turning to his friend. "There's a girl trying to steal my laces!"

"Harry, there's no one," Hermione ducked under the table and immediately sat up again. "Harry's not crazy," she finished.

"Wha'?" Ron asked, and much to Harry's shock, sounding surprised at the notion that he wasn't insane. He'd have to talk to Ron about that soon, he decided.

"Look for yourself," Hermione shrugged, serving herself some roast beef.

Harry, meanwhile, was still fighting with the girl over his shoelaces. She'd managed to remove both the strings now. After a few more moments of silent, yet gripping action, he let her go. He was hungry and there was no way for him to win. She had the upper-hand. Or was it the lower-hand?

OOOOOO

"Now that our appetites are filled for the hour, I have a few announcements to make," Dumbledore started half-an-hour later. "The Forbidden Forest is still forbidden, should any of you older students be wondering. Mr. Filch, our wonderful caretaker, has asked me to tell you that all products from the store Weasley's Wizard's Wheezes have been banned." Here Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled merrily. "And finally, I am sorry to say Professor McGonagall has decided to take the year off," he paused again, this time to let the chatter from his statement settle down, "but Professor Paxton Deere will be holding her position for the year."

Harry was surprised when the new transfiguration teacher stood up and bowed impressively with a wide smile at his introduction. He was hit with a sudden memory of Sirius doing that exact same motion back when he was first introduced to the new members of the Order of the Phoenix.

"And this year the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts will be held by Professor Pansy Deere."

There was a sudden burst of giggling underneath the Gryffindor table that continued on through the polite applause. After a moment of the student body trying to place the noise, Professor Dumbledore added, "And their twin daughters, Daisy and Marigold Deere."

"She likes Mary!" a high voice returned almost at once.

The whole hall (minus most of the Slytherins) burst into laughter as a "stern-faced" transfiguration teacher hurried down to pull his twin girls out from under the table.

Dumbledore, wiping tears of amusement out of the corner of his eye, finished his speech by saying, "Now off to bed with you all. Prefects, please show the first years the way!"

A/N: What did you think? Please tell me. Encouragement is always welcome. Thank you to those who reviewed and/or alerted the story.