Chapter 15 The new Gryffindor

"Hey Harry, Hurry up will you or you'll miss the carriages" Ron called from one of the Thestral- driven carriages. Harry turned facing his best mate as he stood by one of them, along with Hermione, Ginny and Luna Lovegood, whoheld firmly onto the latest copy of the Quibbler in her hand. It started to rain, and since he did not feel like to get soaking wet he hurried to his friends taking a seat next to Hermione. At the seat opposite him sat Ron, next to him Ginny and Luna, who didn't seem to have grown so much under the warm summer.

As soon as they had all seated down, the carriage moved.

"So Luna" Harry began looking upon the one year younger girl. "Had a nice summer?"

"It was okay," she answered not even looking at him. She was holding the Quibbler upside down trying to solve one of the Rune mysteries in it. "Well, it was pretty fascinating really, we went to Sweden, a very green country, and we actually managed to find the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Lively creature, very cuddle. Here are some photos me and my dad took.

She handed them a greatly large pile of photographs. Hermione snatched them immediately, wanting to be the first person seeing them. Harry looked over her shoulder.

"Wow, who took these pictures?" Hermione asked.

"My cousin, he's a photograph and as you can see there he more enjoyed taking photos of the nature, than of the creature itself.

Ron managed to get some of the pictures Hermione had looked at.

"How in the world can one country be so green?"

(Shitza: I know, I KNOW, I'm overdoing it. Sweden is not based on trees, yet most often when we display our country we show halicopter taken pictures over our forests and say this. Wood is something we won't have little of for many many years. Still in my opinion, it is as written here, beautiful, yet every country has it's own beauty. Don't you think?")

"Beats me" Harry said. "At least the witches and wizards there don't seem so frightened over that Voldemort has returned."

"Well" said Luna behind the Quibbler. "I wouldn't bet on that. Only about a month ago a school was attacked there. It said so in the Daily Prophet."

"Didn't know you read the Prophet Luna." Ginny said. "I thought that your father said that it was a waste of money."

"It is, unless you can sneak it out from the Leaky Cauldron."

The carriage moved slowly, the image of the great castle grew clearer. Harry looked through the window, rain smattered at the cold glass. He had a feeling that something was up. Something none of them had occurred. Something no one could even guess. Sighing he thought, 'Not even me...'

Suddenly the carriage stopped. Ron opened the window and looked out. "Hey, were here," he said.

Using their cloaks to shield themselves from the pouring rain they ran towards

the castle. As soon as they entered, finally having escaped the rain, a flood with water met them.

"Peeves, you snivelling Poltergeist. How dare you drown the students?" the voice of Professor McGonagall yelled.

"OOOOOooooohh" Peeves said from above their heads. "Ickle-pickle students already soaky-woaky. Cannot take the rain, chickens."

He laughed heavily. Ron took out his wand pointing it at Peeves.

"No Mr Weasley, that's against the school rules to curse even the ghosts, and I'm afraid that Peeves is counted as one of them, even if he isn't one. As long as he doesn't hurt anybody, well I'm afraid you can't do anything."

"Ron withdrew his wand whispering to Harry. "One of these days I'm gonna find a way to curse him, with out breaking the rules."

"Good luck with that," became Harry's answer as he saw Peeves drop a water filled balloon on top of some third-years.

Drenched and cold they sat down at the Gryffindor table. He felt like he just had been pulled out from the lake, Hermione was wringing out the water from her hair, which still lay flat over her shoulders. Somehow that charm she had used had turned out to be quite effective. Ron on the other hand stared longingly at his plate.

The door opened and Professor McGonagall came leading a group of new students, not only first years as it seemed.

"What's going on?" Harry said.

"They must be the students, who survived the attack at Rosengard. As they have no where to go I believe Hogwarts have admitted to take them."

"They're very few," Ron said looking at the small crowd of Scandinavians. Must be hard for them to live through it. I mean, they lost some friends during the attack."

"Ron, hundreds of witches and wizards died at the attack, one of the highest numbers since fifteen years back."

At the high table Dumbledore stood up.

"First before we start the sorting I'd like to thank the staff, for their actions and I would like to welcome the transferred students here to Hogwarts. In these dark times, I know it's hard to look forward for the future. Yet I hope that our students will happily take you to them and I beg all students to show the new ones respect. Thank you!"

The applause rang through the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall took forward the stool and the old hat.

"Andreasson, Sandra, seventh year..."

One of the older students stepped forward and sat at the stool. There was a

moment's pause and silence.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Loud clapping from the Hufflepuff table.

"Lindqvist, Magnus, seventh year..."

"SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherins cheered as Magnus seated down. Harry saw Draco leaning forward to say something in the transferred students ear.

"Jorunsdotter, Emma, sixth year."

"RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaws cheered as Emma seated down.

"Karlsen, Ivan, sixth year."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Ridgeback, Cassandra, sixth year..."

As Cassandra put the hat on she dearly hoped the hat had changed its mind, if it had any.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry and his friends clapped their hands numb as Cassandra came over and seated herself between Hermione and Neville. The sorting continued until all the transferred students, and the new first years was seated.

"I only have some few words left" Dumbledore said. "Tuck in!"

"Finally" Ron said heaving food onto his plate.

"You look like a starved dog, do you know that," Cassandra said laughing. That was the first time they ever had heard her talk.

Ron grunted and tried to swallow.

"Ronald Weasley he said offering his hand.

"Cassandra Ridgeback, very nice to meet you."

"Ridgeback, as in Ridgeback Valley?" Hermione asked astounded.

"The very same. And what's your name?"

"Oh, Hermione Granger. Fantastic to meet one of the infamous Ridgeback's."

"Really, you seem very smart for your age Hermione. Strange you landed up here."

'At least I'm not the only one being sorted into the wrong house.'

"N-N-Neville L-L-Longbottom," Neville stuttered.

"And what's your name she asked Harry."

"Haven't guessed it yet," he said jokingly. Harry Potter.

"Wow" was the answer he received. He hated when people did that.

"Hey Harry" He heard Seamus say. "Whose your girlfriend?!"

"Very funny Seamus" he answered back as both Seamus and Dean broke out to laughter. "This is Cassandra and unless you weren't sleeping, you might have heard Professor Dumbledore's speech."

"Oh, which year will you be in?" he asked her.

"Sixth, I had my birthday in February."

"Hey, you are going in the same year as us, great."

He whispered something in Dean's ear and they both went back to their own seats.

As the plates began to clear and the food vanished into the students' mouths slowly everybody went back to their common rooms. Over all the noise he could hear Hermione's calls.

"First years and transferred students, this way to the Gryffindor common- room. Ron, Ronald Weasley were in the hell are you. Very well, this way."

As she began to make her way towards the common room he suddenly saw Ron.

"Hey Ron" he called. "You better run after Hermione, don't forget you're still a prefect."

"Okay, see you Harry" he said and ran after Hermione. Harry made his way up to the Fat lady, the Guardian of the Gryffindor tower.

"Password" she said.

"Ehh..." he said remembering he didn't have the password yet. He heard footsteps from behind.

"Anemone Nemorosa"

The portrait swung open revealing the entrance to the tower. Looking back he saw Neville, who was holding a small white flower in his hand, which he was studying with great care.

"How in the world did you know the password" he asked the bewildered boy.

"I didn't, I was just saying the Latin name of this flower." He pointed at the flower in his hand.

"Well then, it was a good job anyway, or I might have been stuck out here all day."

End notices:

1, Don't bother looking for Ridgeback Valley. You wont find it, its unplottable and well hidden.

2, Anemone Nemorosa is a small flower. The Swedish name for it is Vitsippa, or in English Windflower/Wood Anemone. Pretty common in the spring. Blah blah blah...

3, About the sorting, I didn't fulfil the text, so here's the more statistic bits.

1 years: 8 Slytherins, 6 Ravenclaws, 7 Hufflepuffs and 9 Gryffindors

2 years 2 Slytherins, 3 Ravenclaws

3 years 1 Ravenclaw, 3 Gryffindors, 1 Slytherin

4 years 1 Slytherin, 2 Hufflepuffs, 1 Gryffindor

5 years 1 Slytherin, 2 Ravenclaws

6 years 1 Ravenclaw, 2 Hufflepuffs, 1 Gryffindor

7 years 1 Slytherin, 1 Hufflepuff 1

TBC

Felt like doubleposting, since it's been near a week since my last update.