Beth spent half of the summer with the Diggorys, doing absolutely nothing except homework. There was nothing to do. Her brother was gone, her adoptive one anyways, she wanted nothing to do with Harry, and like it mattered, it seemed like he wanted nothing to do with her as well. Draco didn't even send any letters to her, but she figured it was because of Harry being her twin brother. Halfway through July, Dumbledore stopped by and picked her up and all of her belongings and brought her to this old house where the Weasleys were staying. It was Sirius' house, her godfather. Heather was there as well, always making out with Fred, Hermione was there, and the one person Beth needed the most: Marissa.
Two weeks later, a few days before the birthday, the one she shares with Harry, Harry was brought to the house. There was a meeting going on so Ron, Hermione, Marissa, and Beth were forced to tell Harry was going on. Beth and Harry barely spoke the entire time.
~*****~*****~*****~
'Thank god," said Beth, when she was alone with Marissa. "Tomorrow we get to go back to Hogwarts and I won't have to see him."
"You'd think he'd be a little happier to find out he had a family member left," replied Marissa. "I mean for 12 years he was an orphan. Then last year he found out about his and your godfather, and then two months ago he found out he had a sister. Too bad it wasn't under better circumstances."
"Yeah," replied Beth. "But I kind of blame Harry for Cedric's death. If he hadn't let Cedric grab the Porky, Cedric would still be alive and Harry and I wouldn't know a thing about our family history."
"Guess what!" screamed Hermione. "I am a prefect!" And so is Ron! Isn't that awesome?"
"That is great Hermione," replied Marissa and Beth at the same time. "Well done."
"OMG!" screamed Hermione. "I must tell Mum and Dad. I'll go see if Harry will let me borrow Hedwig.
"Oh God," said Beth after Hermione left the room. "Now how am I supposed to sneak around and go find hot guys?"
"Uhhh," replied Marissa cracking up. "Lie and say you are going to the library? I don't know."
The girls then started laughing so hard that they began to cry. They didn't even notice when Fred, George, Heather, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry entered the room.
"May I ask what is so funny?" said Fred.
"Nothing," replied Beth still laughing. "Absolutely nothing."
"Doesn't seem like nothing," replied Ron.
"You would not understand Ron," replied Marissa, beginning to calm down. "None of you would."
~*****~*****~*****~
The next day everyone went to the train station so the kids could go to Hogwarts. It was a long process of saying goodbye to everyone and the kids were lucky enough to catch the train before it left. Fred, George, and Heather went off somewhere, Ron and Hermione went to the front with all the other prefects, and left Ginny, Harry, Neville, Marissa, and Beth to find somewhere to sit. They ended up sitting with Luna Lovegood and rode with her in the carriages to the castle. They then proceeded to their respected House tables to await the sorting of the first years.
Once the first years were in the room, the Sorting Hat began to sing;
In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach!"
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name.,"
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A House in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the Houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the Houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
Let the Sorting now begin.
After the applause, none of the Gryffindor people could figure out what it meant. Beth just happened to find a way to record it so she could try and decipher it.
