Helloooooo again =D Well I am happy and quite surprised that I recieved over 30 hits and I even got my first review! *squeeeeeeeee* Hopefully people come back for seconds. This chap is MUCH longer, as promised, and more is learned from all the characters. I try to keep everyone as in character as possible, so if there on any tips on how to make it better, it is much appreciated. Hopefully I'll be updating every couple of days. It is 2:30 am right now so if there are mistakes, lets just save everyones eyes and get it fixed soon. Hope you enjoy =)
"Get your ruddy hands off of me!"
Every head in the Great Hall snapped towards the doors towards a tall girl with long black hair and a stony expression. She forcefully jerked her arm away from a man cloaked in black and glared at him darkly. Slowly, she turned her green-eyed gaze to the watching students and glanced up at the golden podium to the elderly witch standing defiantly behind it. The dark haired girl squared her shoulders and walked straight backed and proud towards the front of the hall.
"What are you looking at?" She snarled at young Hufflepuff student, who cowered noticeably in his seat. As she looked up from the small boy, her eyes met with a pair of silver ones. The eyes belonged to the Prince of Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, and he eyed her with interest, although her gaze upon him was brief and blank. She soon approached the steps of the Hall and looked Professor McGonagall square in the eye.
"Glad you could make it, Pandora Witte. Please, take a seat on this stool."
Pandora glared coldly at McGonagall and stared pointedly at the stool with a large, ruffled, black hat set on top. She glanced at McGonagall once more before ascending the steps and plopped herself gracefully on top of the stool. The Sorting Hat sat to her eyebrows and stayed silent for a moment before finally speaking, making Pandora flinch.
"Ah yes. Only six years late-this makes my decision harder. You are a clever one, aren't you? That is a Ravenclaw trait, you know, but I see a darker side to this one. Hmm...you would do well in Slytherin." Chatter is faintly heard among the students. "Something else...something...different. Gryffindor!"
The normal explosion of applause familiar to all four houses was lost to shock, as only a select few cheers and claps were heard among the Gryffindor table. McGonagall removed the hat from her head and Pandora made her way to the table creating the most noise. Mutters were heard as she walked towards the end of the row and sat down stiffly, yet she held her head high and looked on towards the front of the hall wearing a blank mask. McGonagall nodded curtly and continued her speech.
"Most of you must be wondering why there are an abundance of new students of many ages at Hogwarts this year. Due to the circumstances and uncertain times we face, the Ministry of Magic has issued a new law: that every witch and wizard, aged eleven to seventeen, must be taught and trained properly in case...a battle is initiated by the Dark Lord. The Ministry requires as many as possible to fight. I will not sugar-coat the idea, for all of you deserves to know the truth, although none of you, I must say, have a choice. One thing I want none of you to forget, however, is your studies, first and foremost. Also...do not forget to enjoy your time here. Do not dwell on the idea of war, but instead, enjoy life to its fullest. Now, eat up, all of you."
The moment McGonagall turned around to face the Head Table, all four house tables became satiated with food. Pandora's eyes widened slightly at the sight, but she quickly recovered herself and picked slowly at little bits of food with a look of disinterest.
The Gryffindors surrounding the Golden Trio eyed Ron oddly; the feast had started five minutes ago and he had touched nothing. Harry nudged his best friend in the ribs who jumped and raised his eyebrows at his friend.
"What the bloody hell was that for?"
Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron and nodded his head in the direction of the empty plate, but frowned when he saw that Ron was not even looking at him anymore.
"Oi, mate!" Ron blinked and looked at Harry in surprise. "Are you not feeling well? You ill or something?" Harry moved his hand to feel Ron's forehead but he swatted it away and shook his head.
"I'm fine, mate...people are looking."
"They were looking before, Ron. You haven't touched any of the food. That only happens if you're sick."
"I said I'm fine, Harry. I'm just...thinking."
Hermione sprayed the pumpkin juice she was just drinking from her goblet all over Seamus and promptly covered her mouth in embarrassment. Seamus's eyes popped open and he looked at Hermione is surprise.
"Oh, Seamus, I'm so sorry. Scourgify." Hermione dried Seamus of the pumpkin juice with a spell and a wand and returned her shaken focus back to Ron, who eyed her oddly.
"Surprised you there, did I? Sorry to disappoint you, Hermione, I do have thoughts floating around in this empty thing on my neck." Ron eyed her coldly and glanced to her left briefly before piling his plate up with food. Hermione raised her eyebrows at Harry and he shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips.
"I'm sorry, Ron. I'm not implying that you are stupid. I have simply never heard you utter those words before...it would be like a curse word flying out of my mouth." Ron glanced up at Hermione, a less cold expression gracing his face. "What were you thinking about?"
Ron playfully stabbed at his baked potato and glanced once more to Hermione's left. "The-uhh-the war."
Harry grinned at Hermione knowingly and she glanced to her left and noticed Pandora, picking at her food, her back still stick straight and shoulders still squared. Hermione quirked an eyebrow at Harry and continued to eat her meal. After a little over an hour had passed over the feast, the Prefects of each house led their pupils towards their respective common rooms. Harry, Hermione and Ron were already sitting in large burgundy chairs set in a circle when Pandora cautiously walked through the portrait hole. Her piercing green eyes settled on Ron for a mere moment before immediately seeking the fire. Her feet followed her gaze to the fire and just as she was about to sit down on the couch before it, Professor McGonagall walked through the portrait hole and settled her gaze on the Trio.
"Have any of you three seen-"
The Trio pointed their fingers towards the fireplace before McGonagall could finish her sentence. She walked to Pandora with purpose and stood in front of her, blocking the view of the fire. She looked McGonagall square in the face, defiant. McGonagall took a deep breath.
"You will come with me. Now."
The elder witch turned promptly on her heel and left the common room without a second glace. Pandora fixed her gaze on the Trio once more, glaring at them all in turn, before exiting the common and following McGonagall.
"Bloody hell, if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was a Dementor, the way the looks at you." Ron exclaimed, a touch of awe in his voice. Harry rolled his eyes at Hermione who in turn quirked her eyebrow again.
Pandora followed the old witch down dark, ancient halls, turning and climbing stairs so often, she thought she may lose her way when she would return to the common room. McGonagall had finally come to a stop in front of a finely crafted stone gargoyle.
"I thank you for making your way here at last, but please, try to keep up. Golden beak."
Pandora gave the Professor a strange look and jumped when the gargoyle began to move counter-clockwise and upwards, revealing a stone, spiralling staircase. McGonagall began to ascend the steps and halted one quarter of the way up.
"I suggest you follow me soon, Ms. Witte, the staircase will not remain open forever."
McGonagall started up the steps once more, this time followed closely by Pandora. She stepped through a round door into a round room filled with moving portraits of elderly witches and wizards garbed in long, bright robes and stopped by a desk piled high with books, robes, and accessories.
"Now, seeing as we had to enrol you here by force, we took the liberty of buying the supplies necessary for your learning at Hogwarts. These-" McGonagall pointed to three long boxes on the desk in front of the books. "-are the wands chosen for you. Take each one in your hand and see if you are compatible with it. Go on."
Pandora hesitantly opened the lid of one box and picked up the long, slim piece of wood, eyeing McGonagall cautiously. She jerked it towards the desk, which in turn threw everything off of it and onto the floor, making Pandora jump and drop the wand. McGonagall shook her head in slight exasperation.
"Don't dwell on it, Ms. Witte, try another."
Pandora glared at the witch and removed the lid of the second wand. The black length of the crooked wand seemed to suit Pandora right away, and the moment she jerked the wand back at the desk everything that was shoved off the surface was promptly replaced.
"Ah. Eleven inch Mahogany with a Chimaera Scale core. Very rare, Ms. Witte. Perhaps there is more to you than meets the eye."
"What would make you think that?" Pandora questions, curiosity getting the best of her.
McGonagall smiled thinly. "As Olivander would say, the wand chooses the wizard. A core that unique choosing someone like you is no accident."
"I don't even bloody know what a 'Chimaera' is, how am I supposed-"
"You will watch your tongue in my office, Ms. Witte. You will learn about these creatures soon enough. For now, take your things to your dormitory. You will find your clothes are by your bed. Your schedule is also in one of your textbooks, and you will be taking extra lessons with the top student who happens to reside in your house. I'm sure you may have heard of her? Hermione Granger?" Pandora stays silent and stares blankly into McGonagall's eyes. "Very well. Breakfast is at six am, classes start at eight. See you tomorrow, Ms. Witte."
Pandora tucked her wand into her back pocket and gathered the eight thick textbooks and black robes into her arms, hanging the black cauldron over the nook of her arm, and headed out the door. McGonagall glances over at Fawkes and sighed. "Dumbledore, I daresay you would have had some fun with this one. Head of a Goblin, she has."
Pandora eventually found her way back to Gryffindor tower after some incidental wandering and an unwillingness to discover the hidden parts of the castle, not to mention the moving staircases. She muttered the password to the common room and stepped through cautiously. As she walked past the Trio, a deep voice penetrated her ears.
"Err-H'llo. I'm-I'm Ron Weasley. Um-you-you're Pandora?"
Pandora turned around to face Ron, red faced and fidgeting with his hands, and glared at him for a moment before turning around and heading up the steps. Ron turned to face his friends, halfway between laughing hysterically and fidgeting in nervousness as Ron did.
"Well...I probably got her at the wrong time, you know...with the...books and all."
Harry grins. "Yes, Ron, that was the problem. She hasn't glared anyone down at all today."
Hehehe...hope you like Pandora!! =P well I don't expect you to like her NOW but she might grow on you.