Chapter 8- Of Sortings and Feasts
Disclaimer: You know, all this professing of the fact that we're not rich and famous has really hurt our self image. Can't we go without saying that neither Avril Lavigne's "Complicated" or Rowling's amazing world belong to us??
Uh huh, life's like this
Uh huh, uh huh, that's the way it is
Cause life's like this
Uh huh, uh huh that's the way it is
"Oye! You the new students?" called a tall girl with brilliant red hair that, unfortunately, was currently in the process of being plastered to her head.
Randy turned, about to roll his eye and shoot off some snarky comment towards the girl about 'new kids', but stopped short when he saw her.
Meagan sighed, recognizing the look on Randy's features even before Randy could identify the emotions tied to them, and stepped in front of him. "Yes, we are," she replied politely enough, though inwardly she was just as unhappy about her manner of addressing the siblings as Randy was.
"I'm Cassie Watters, Head Girl this year. Professor McGonagall asked me to come find you…"
"Of course. Erm… do we need to bring our luggage with us?" Sarah asked uncertainly.
"Oh, no. It'll be sent up later and put in your dormitories," she said easily. With a smile she ushered the three in front of her towards a tall, wiry older woman wearing a tartan scarf and an old cloak which she had obviously charmed to repel rain. Sarah could, without even looking over at her twin, tell that her opinion of England was fading quickly.
"Are you the Abernathy's?" the woman asked, not unkindly, though her severe looks seemed to tell a different story altogether.
The three just stood there for a moment in silence, a little startled by the sudden appearance of horseless carriages and an enormous man who looked at least part, if not all, giant. Sarah was the first to break out of her reverie, looking up with what, after later reflection she would deem was probably a fabulous imitation of a deer caught in the headlights. "Oh! Er, yes," she finally managed to stammer, feeling tongue tied by the intimidating figures before her.
"Very good," McGonagall replied, no nonsense. "Come. The headmaster is waiting to meet you."
Those few words were enough to cause all of the siblings' hearts to stop for a moment in trepidation of what they would find in meeting the illustrious Albus Dumbledore in person. It was only the woman- professor, they all inwardly reminded themselves- who pulled their attention back to the present. She hurried them into a nearby carriage, telling them something that none of them really heard. Closing the door, they were all suddenly on their way.
Chill out whatcha yelling' for?
Lay back it's all been done before
And if you could only let it be
you will see
I like you the way you are
When we're drivin' in your car
and you're talking to me one on one but you've become
Sooner than any of them would've liked, they felt the carriage come to a halt, and they were surprised to see the carriage door open, revealing a white-bearded man with twinkling eyes. "Thank you," Meagan said uncertainly, stepping out, her siblings not far behind her. "Er, could you direct us to the Headmaster? We heard he was waiting… you see, we're new…"
"Of course, Miss Abernathy," the man said. "I'm pleased to inform you that you've quite found him. And I assure you, I wasn't waiting very long at all."
Meagan blanched, her face turning a bloodless white before turning bright crimson. "I… I'm so sorry…" she stammered.
"No trouble at all. I must admit, it's quite refreshing for someone not to know who I am," he said kindly.
"You wanted to see us?" Sarah asked quickly, trying to avert Dumbledore's attention from her twin in an effort to relieve Meagan slightly.
"Yes, I did request your presence for a short time after your arrival. Would it please you to accompany me to the Great Hall for a brief introduction of Hogwarts?" inquired the Headmaster, who seemed to be quite tickled by Meagan's blunder and all the more so by her recovery or lack thereof.
"It would please us very much, Professor. Let me introduce myself. I'm Sarah and this is my twin sister, Meagan, and…"
"Her older brother, Randy." he interjected, before Sarah could finish the introductions, while producing his hand.
"It is then my pleasure to welcome you to Hogwarts as well as to meet you." replied the amused Headmaster, shaking Randy's hand firmly. "Come, let's make our way to the Hall. I seem to be quite famished."
"I like him already." announced Randy to his sisters as Dumbledore turned to lead the way.
"I can tell. All anyone has to do to get you to like them is mention food and you're hooked." commented Sarah laughingly.
Somebody else round everyone else
You're watching your back like you can't relax
You're tryin' to be cool you look like a fool to me
Tell me
"Sarah… Thanks for covering me. I feel like such an idiot right now. I don't know what I was thinking." Meagan, while examining her hands in a way only an extremely embarrassed person could.
"No worries. You know me; always there to help you up when you take a spill," she replied somewhat sarcastically, "But I wouldn't worry too much, Meg, I would have done the same thing if you hadn't done it first."
"Thanks it's good to know that someone has my back."
"Hurry up you two! He said there's food!" shouted Randy from his position on the front steps of the castle.
"Hold your horses, Randy. You act like you won't ever be able to eat again if you don't get there right now." joked Sarah, wrapping her cloak closer around her self as the rain began to fall harder.
"You never know, Sarah, maybe there's an elf in there that keeps track of things like that." commented Meagan, finishing the joke.
The siblings met up with Dumbledore once again inside the large oak doors where he had paused to dry his cloak and straighten his hat. While leading them to the Great Hall he explained the four house system as well as house points.
"Now that you know the order of things, let's get you sorted before the other students have the chance to interrupt." Dumbledore said with his normal twinkle and encouraging smile, while he held the beautiful doors open to them.
"This place is amazing." Sarah sighed in awe.
"Yeah… totally." Meagan said through a gaping mouth.
"I thought he said there was food." whispered Randy, through the side of his mouth.
"There will be, young man. As they say, patience is a virtue." Dumbledore stated from behind Randy's shoulder. "Come, we are running short on time."
Why you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this you, you fall and you crawl and you break
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
and promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
no no no
Randy promptly turned as red as the banners that hung over one of the four large tables that occupied the vast hall that stood formidably before the three increasingly overwhelmed siblings. Sarah and Meagan had to practically drag Randy through the door as well as wrench their own eyes away from the incredible sight that baited their attention.
"I didn't know he was there. I swear, I didn't." Randy said in an unusually small voice.
"It's ok. We seem to have a knack from making fools of ourselves today." Sarah said trying to soften the blow.
"Thanks. Lots of help coming from the only one of us that hasn't totally and undeniably made irreversible mistakes today." came the snide and sharp remark from Meagan, who, unlike Randy, had recovered the power of speech.
"I hope I haven't caused the three of you a disservice with my remarks. It would be quite dreadful to start off a new year in a new place with nobody to turn to," commented Dumbledore gravely.
"Oh, no. It's not you, Professor. It's alright." Sarah replied, trying to convince herself that it would be.
You come over unannounced
Dressed up like your something else
Where you are and where it's at
You see you're making me
Laugh out when you strike a pose
Take off all your preppy clothes
You're not fooling anyone when you become
Dumbledore gave her a piercing gaze which caused Sarah to squirm slightly before he turned and resumed leading the three siblings, all keeping their mouths quite firmly shut this time, through a small door at the far end of the hall to an antechamber no bigger than an oversized closet. "I'm afraid you must suffer through the mundane process of sorting before we get to the fun part of eating," he said, winking at Randy as he said this. Randy blushed a shade redder, but to his relief the older man had already turned and had produced a ratty hat, holding it up at arm level, and looked at them expectantly. "Well, who shall we have first?" Dumbledore asked kindly enough.
"Erm, me, I suppose," Randy said, stepping forward in a mad attempt to perhaps save a bit of face with the Headmaster. "What exactly do I need to do?" he asked as Dumbledore motioned for him to sit on a small stool.
"Just put the hat on and we'll see what house you're suited for. Nothing taxing, I assure you," Dumbledore said kindly.
Randy nodded hesitantly, feeling the old hat fall squarely on his head and, not knowing what to expect, quite nearly jumped out of the seat when he heard a new voice in his ear.
"Mm, brave, aren't you. But cunning too. So much potential in you… a good heart, not terribly bright... no offense, boy, no offense. Another it must be for SLYTHERIN!" the voice shouted. Randy felt the hat leave his head and he stood up on shaking legs to see his sisters both looking at the hat in a mix of fright and curiosity.
"Next?" Dumbledore asked, seemingly oblivious to the siblings' reactions to the thing he held in his hand. Sarah nudged Meagan forward, still trying to accept that the hat Dumbledore was now putting on her sister had quite unabashedly spoken not two seconds earlier. A moment more passed, and the hat's seam which served as a mouth of a sort opened again this time to shout "GRYFFINDOR!" quite loudly. Sarah was in a daze as Randy pushed her forward onto the stool, and suddenly there was the same voice in her ear as she had heard before.
Somebody else round everyone else
You're watching your back like you can't relax
You're tryin' to be cool you look like a fool to me
Tell me
"Ah, clever one, aren't you. A twin, ah, yes… but not one to stay on the sidelines and watch. Not afraid of getting your hands dirty in order to get what you want, are you? Devious, too. Ah, like your brother. Loyal, yes, but a Slytherin can combine the two quite nicely. Yeeesss…. Indeed…. In that case, you must belong in-"
"Surely she'll be the same as you," Randy whispered when the hat took longer than it had on the other two. "You're twins, after all."
So when the hat opened its seam and shouted "SLYTHERIN!" so loudly the siblings all cringed, all three had looks of astonishment on their faces. For the names the hat had shouted out not to match for Sarah and Meagan was quite certainly a shocker to all three.
"Ah… Interesting. Not the first time," Dumbledore commented as he placed the hat gently back on the stool Sarah had just vacated. "Well, well. An interesting year it's shaping up to be! Those will be your houses for the rest of your time at Hogwarts. Of course, you'll see each other at meals and perhaps the occasional class, and naturally on break time, but your housemates will become a second family. Now, I'm sure your housemates will quite inform you of your respective house's history, so I'll spare you all that. Your luggage will be brought up to your dormitories and I'll show you to your tables. Then we'll begin the sorting and the feast. Acceptable?" he asked merrily, seemingly oblivious to the siblings' shock.
"Sounds great," Meagan said weakly, the realization that she was the odd one out, without anyone she knew in the same house as her. At least Sarah would have Randy. Sarah glanced worriedly at her twin, taking her hand reassuringly for a moment before following the aging man, who was surprisingly spry despite his ancient looks, out the door once more and to the tables. Meagan left Randy and Sarah, looking quite miserable as she sat under the red banners, leaving her siblings to continue on to sit under the deep green banners on the other end of the hall. Other students began to pour in within minutes, the din in the hall rising to such a point that neither sibling could get much across, and as the flurry of activity finally died down, it was only to be replaced by a parade of young children into the hall, on whom the process the Abernathy's had just endured was being repeated on. The final one had been sorted into Hufflepuff and gone to sit under the bright golden flags over the next table when Dumbledore stood and began to speak; giving the shortest and possibly oddest speech that Sarah, Randy, and Meagan could ever remember hearing, especially from one so well admired as Albus Dumbledore was.
Why you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this you, you fall and you crawl and you break
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
you promised me I'm never gonna find you fake it
no no no
"My God, he's battier than ever. And they call that kook the Headmaster," muttered the boy with long, platinum hair a few seats down from Sarah, causing both Randy and Sarah to turn and look at him.
"You're right, of course. If only they'd get rid of him," agreed the dark haired boy who sat next to him. "Has your father said anything, Draco-?"
"Shut up, Zabini!" hissed the blonde. "Nobody's supposed to know anything about that, including you…" Sarah watched as the blonde boy's gaze shifted towards her and Randy, who were currently staring at him. "Can I help you?" he asked snidely.
"Oh… no, no," Sarah said quickly. "Wait… actually, yes, you can." She added, watching the boy turn away. "Albus Dumbledore is one of the most respected wizards in the world. You have no right to-"
"Oh, go join Potty where you belong," the dark haired boy said indifferently.
"I beg your pardon!"
"You've got it, then. Consequently… or, rather, inconsequently, who are you? I don't remember seeing you here before."
"I.. I'm new," Sarah mumbled.
"Which would explain it. Wonder what we did to get the misfortune of having you and the statue next to you in this house," the boy continued.
"Watch it, mate. No one's said anything against you so I'd recommend you back off before you get into more trouble than you can handle." Randy warned.
"Oh, I'm positively quaking. What are you going to do, glare at me? Because that seems to be all you're very capable of," Blaise said, egging Randy on.
Chill out whatcha yelling' for?
Lay back it's all been done before
And if you could only let it be
you will see
I like you the way you are
When we're drivin' in your car
and you're talking to me one on one but you've become
Randy made to stand, causing Sarah to have to quickly wrench him down. "Stop it! He's not worth it," she hissed, giving him a look.
"I won't stand for him to insult us like that," Randy growled.
"You're right. You won't be standing until we're ready to go to bed," Sarah said in mock sweetness. "Really, Randy. Leave it. It's just not worth getting in trouble our first day here."
"Yeah, listen to the little bird. She's just a little goodie-goodie. Making sure no one gets hurt." Blaise said snidely.
Before anyone could stop her, Sarah landed a quick upward blow on Blaise's snide nose.
Shocked, Blaise cupped his hands around his nose. "I think she broke my nose." in a voice that confirmed his accusation.
"It was the least I could do to repay you for your warm welcome," Sarah snarled ,turning to Randy, who sat as shocked as Blaise and Draco at Sarah's action, "Sorry, Randy, I've suddenly lost my appetite."
"Good Night, all," she called as she exited the Great Hall.
The three boys all stared after her as she left the hall, and Sarah could feel the stares of a majority of the student body on her back as she left. Unable to suppress a smile, she was up two flights of stairs already before she realized a key problem: she had never been in Hogwarts in her life, and had no idea where she was.
Somebody else round everyone else
You're watching your back like you can't relax
You're tryin' to be cool you look like a fool to me
Tell me
"Crap," Sarah said, looking around the very nondescript corridor. Looking at the wall, she saw an old man in one of the paintings looking at her inquisitively. "Erm, excuse me!" she said as politely as she could to him. "I mean… do you know where the Slytherin rooms are?"
"I cannot say," the man in the portrait replied.
"Oh, come on. Please?" Sarah pleaded. "I'm new, you see, and I don't know where I'm going…"
"It is against the rules, madam," the man replied stonily.
"Oh, fine," Sarah said, in a bad mood now as she went down the stairs and sat on one of the steps where she could see the Great Hall.
Little did she know that inside the Slytherin table was in turmoil.
"She broke my nose!!" Blaise said again. "Little wench broke my nose!"
"No great loss, Zabini," Draco said with a smirk.
"But… You!" Blaise said, turning on Randy. "She belong to you?"
"She's my sister," Randy said with a tiny smirk. "So in a way, yes."
"Do you always let her handle the dirty work?" Draco asked.
"How about you just shut up," Randy snarled.
"Oh, original. And Mummy would be so despondent, you didn't say please," Draco said flippantly.
Randy tensed at the mention of his mother. "Careful, boy. Or I'll be giving you somefing to match your friend's," Randy said, accent slipping, his voice holding no semblance of kindness or understanding.
For once, Draco found himself heeding the boy's warning and stopped the conversation. "Fine. Zabini, go to the hospital wing. Honestly, the sight of all that blood is enough to turn my stomach."
"But… But…"
"Go!" Draco said angrily as he watched his 'friend' leave, offering no assistance of any sort to him.
Why you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this you, you fall and you crawl and you break
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
you promised me I'm never gonna find you fake it
no no no
Sarah, who had returned once more to the Great Hall in defeat, was able to observe the entire exchange. She looked at Draco with a mixture of disgust and anger. This all-too-familiar boy seemed to be devoid of human emotion, believing anything and everything was beneath him. His utter lack of deference towards whom she had previously assumed to be his friends actonished her. The more she studied him, though, she was increasingly disgusted with what she saw.
"You… who do you think you are, anyway?" she said quietly to the boy. "That's abominable behavior. You should be ashamed," she said.
"Who do I think I am? Draco Abraxus Malfoy. Heir of the Malfoy family, one of the purest of the pureblood families of Europe," he hissed. "We can trace our family to Merlin himself. So I'd strongly advise you to remember who you're talking to, girl. You're rather out of your league," he growled at Sarah, all warm feelings gone in light of her upbraid.
Sarah looked at him with revulsion. "What a shame that such an honor be wasted on a piece of common rubbish like you," she hissed back at him. "A name doesn't give you leave to treat people worse than the dirt on your slimy boots," she said with venom, stepping closer.
Draco appraised her for a moment then broke into a cold, sinister grin. "Why do I even acknowledge you? Muggle-loving scum such as yourself don't deserve the time of day," he said.
"Why, you… I'm as pureblood as yourself! Yet you don't see me going around stomping on people like they were unworthy of my presence!" Sarah seethed, her blood boiling.
Randy, who had the entire time observed the ongoing altercation from his place between his sister and this donkey, stood. "Come on," he said quietly to Sarah. "No use wasting your time on him," not wanting his sister to make a scene, as she was apt to do, and already had.
Sarah begrudgingly let her brother lead her away from the table, leaving Draco sitting prettily back in his seat. "Stupid woman," he muttered as he cut into his pudding. "Thinking she has the right to correct me in front of the others. Nobody does that. Not to a Malfoy," he swore quietly.
Why you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this you, you fall and you crawl and you break
and you take what you get and you turn it into honesty
you promised me I'm never gonna find you fake it
no no no