Chapter 36: Dramatic Entrance
"I've an announcement to make first. There'll be eight exchange students coming from an Asian Wizarding School to join us for a year. I hope all of you would make them feel welcome. Ok, that's all for now." Dumbledore said to Professor McGonagall and he returned to his seat at the staff table. "Please proceed on with the Sorting." I wonder why Old Freddy would want to send his students here for a year. This is so unlike him. Well, they would definitely make things more interesting than what already is.
"I wonder who new students are. This sure sounds interesting." Lily said as she watched the first-years being sorted. I hope its Yvette and her friends.
"It could be the witch that you had been talking about ever since you came back from Taiwan." James suggested.
"That would be wonderful!! But how come we didn't see any new students in the train??" Lily pointed out.
"We were all hiding in our compartment, you see. Didn't you realize that it was kind of smelly outside??" James said as the group of seven started laughing at their minor prank. The seven of them had modified the traditional Zonkos' dungbombs with some sort of magical timer. They went to King Cross unusually early and were the first few to enter the train. The girls had pretended to have trouble moving their trunks, which had been magically weighed down, up the train. This had caused a short jam at the main entrance to allow the Marauders to plant the dungbombs underneath the seats in record time. At eleven-eleven a.m. sharp, all the timed dungbombs exploded at the same time, sending students flying around the compartments. The windows in all the compartments except theirs had been magically locked as well. One reason was to prevent student from flying out from the explosion, another was to keep the stench in for a longer period. This had caused a rather serious shook on the train as it had started accelerating. They had generously left the last compartment dungbomb-free for them.
"I can understand that actually." Lily said, laughing as well. The train was smelly for hours because the windows were not large enough to aerate the whole train totally.
"Where are the new students then??" James asked, scrutinizing the Great Hall for any unfamiliar faces.
"No clue. Who knows they might be some gorgeous babes??" Sirius said eagerly as he scouted around the Great Hall, earning a smack on the head from Arabella.
"It's either they're still outside the hall or they're not here yet in the first place." Lily said, looking over at the front of the hall. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were having a small discussion at the staff table.
"Are they late or something??" James said. "The food won't be served until all the students are sorted!!"
"I'm famished!!" Sirius whined.
"You ate the whole cart and you're hungry!! We ought to be even more hungry!!" Arabella exclaimed, giving him the typical pretended horrified face, which everyone was too used to it.
"There weren't much stuffs on the cart anyway. Besides we're fourteen and growing boys." James added. Sirius had been pretended to be suffering from hunger during the Sorting Ceremony for three years consecutively and it was like a routine to them.
"Looks like the exchange students are not here yet. So let's the feast begins!!" Dumbledore announced after five minutes of clueless waiting. Everyone was looking at his or her plates and goblets expectantly when the food just popped up. The first-years looked amazed at the spread and the way food was served while the second-years and above just ate hungrily, helpings after helpings.
"Look!!"
"They're gorgeous!!"
"The third girl looks sweet!!"
"Who are they??"
"The exchange students??"
"What an entrance!!"
"Who did they think they are??"
"They're pretty!!"
"Probably just brainless bimbos."
"Wow!!"
Four girls entered the Great Hall after ten minutes to the beginning of the feast. They walked in confidently towards the front of the Great Hall.
"Here come our exchange students." Dumbledore announced as he paused eating.
"Punctuality is important in Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall told them sternly.
"We're very sorry about that. We drove a muggle car here because we missed the train at King Cross. There was some delay at the portkey station in Taiwan." The first girl replied politely. Professor Porky turned to look at the girls as if he just heard someone calling his name.
"You could have sent us an owl." Professor McGonagall said.
"We did thought of that. But we didn't know who to address and what to say. Moreover we did not want to trouble anyone for our lateness." The first girl replied.
"The four of you will get a detention each for being late." Whispered murmurings could be heard around the hall. There are definitely not much people who would receive their detentions even before sorting into their respective houses yet.
"We understand that it's against the rules to be late and causing the unnecessary trouble. We accept the detentions." She replied courteously.
"At Hogwarts, you don't have a choice whether to accept detentions or not. You'll need to go for your detentions once they're assigned to you." Professor McGonagall said strictly.
"Yes, Professor." The four girls chorused.
"Where is the other four who were supposed to be here??" Dumbledore asked from the back.
"We've no idea that there're four more students coming." The first girl replied, looking confused. The other three girls behind her looked equally bewildered because they thought they were the only four who were sent here.
"There would be four more students, no mistake." Dumbledore said.
"Anyway we shall proceed on with the sorting. Ho, Yvette." Professor McGonagall read from her scroll. The girl name Yvette walked up to her. She instructed Yvette to sit on the chair and she placed the Sorting Hat on her. Within one minute, the hat shouted "RAVENCLAW!!"
"Muye, Shannie" The second girl went up and the hat lingered for a minute before shouting out "RAVENCLAW!!"
"Teng, Jennifer" The girl who spoke to Professor McGonagall went up and sat on the stool. The hat shouted out "RAVENCLAW!!"
"Xiao, Yvonne" The hat shouted almost immediately upon the placement of the hat. "RAVENCLAW!!"
All the four girls were sorted to Ravenclaw. Some older students in that table made space for the four girls. The boys around the Hall looked at the four girls admiringly because they were pretty. Most of the Ravenclaw guys tried to talk to the girls but they were mingling with the Ravenclaw girls instead.
"Yvette!!" Lily shouted across her table and got out from her seat.
"Lily!!" Yvette turned and saw Lily, both girls ran towards each other and hugged. Some of the people were amazed that Lily and Yvette were acquainted.
"I'm so glad you made it here!!" Lily said happily.
"Me too!! Glad to see you here!!" Yvette replied, ecstatic.
"I think we better get back to our dinner. We can talk tomorrow."
"Too bad we aren't in the same house."
"That's why. I see you around ok." Lily said as both girls returned to their respective seats at their house table, with their backs facing each other.
"So she's the Yvette that you had been talking about." James asked, eyeing the girl. "Not bad, pretty and sweet looking. I think the girl Shannie looks more fun although not as pretty as the other three."
"I think the girl name Jennifer is better. She looks more confident and appealing." Sirius said as he munched his food and looked at the girl blatantly at the same time.
"I prefer the girl name Yvonne. She looks shy and cute." Remus said, taking glances at the shy girl at the next table.
"They're all so gorgeous. I don't remember them looking that pretty in the photos that Yvette showed me at her house." Lily said, feeling happy and envious at Yvette and their friends.
"We can get to know them tomorrow. There's one whole year." Stefanie said, looking at the Ravenclaw table. The girls seemed to be their dinner as chatting with the girls appeared to be the priority over the food.
"Let's eat. Otherwise the feast might drag on. Who knows when the other four might be coming??" Arabella pointed as she continued her dinner. Most of the people had resumed their dinners and the usual chatter slowly built up. The girls nevertheless were being the limelight in the hall.
WwwHHHHOOOooOSSSssssHHhhhh!!
"What's that??"
"Who're they??"
"Those are the newest broomsticks!!"
"The Lasers!!"
"Wow!!"
"Must have been expensive!!"
"The exchange students, I supposed??"
"Look at their speed!!"
"Look at their clothes!!"
"The broomsticks are fast!!"
"Look, the newest broomstick!! The Laser series!!" James said excitedly. The four broomsticks had flew in from the opened entrance of the Great Hall and whizzed around the high ceiling.
"Laser?? Aren't they supposed to be muggle stuffs??" Lily asked, looking at the four whizzing broomsticks on top of them.
"Why did they name broomsticks Laser then??" Arabella asked, looking upwards like everyone else in the Great Hall.
"I don't know. It's international considering it's the first series of Laser broomsticks." Stefanie said. She did not know as much as the guys on broomsticks and quidditch in this case.
"Those broomsticks are supposed to be compared to the speed of light." James replied knowingly. His parents had yet to buy him the newest broomstick for the year and he was still carrying his good old Thunderblot.
"It has a better acceleration and instant braking system. Great for sharp turns and the stunts." Sirius added, admiring the broomsticks more than the people on it.
"These broomsticks were Asia's products but had gone international within three months of launching." Remus said. Most of the guys appeared to be admiring the broomsticks since the people on them were too blurred.
"Can you four please come down now??" Dumbledore shouted up the ceiling. The four broomsticks stopped in midair and landed downwards in a blast.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." Three of the guys greeted everyone in the hall, bowing towards the staff table, with their broomsticks held up on their right.
"FLOWER-BOYS??" Someone in the hall had exclaimed kind of loudly.
"So could you please explain why did the four of you make such a disturbing entrance??" Professor McGonagall asked fiercely.
"We just want to make a dramalic entrance." The first guy in wavy hair said. Someone hissed behind him muttering something. "I mean dramatic entrance. It was pointless coming the normal way."
"So why is it pointless to come in the normal way??" Professor McGonagall asked, annoyed at the attitude of the four guys.
"We do things the way we want. But we'll still get things done in the end." The first guy answered. Two of the guys were busily winking at the ogling girls while the third guy was looking nonchalant about what was happening.
"Detention for a week for all the disturbances."
"We live for that." The first guy replied. Professor McGonagall looked positively steaming.
"Sort into your houses first."
"How??"
"When I call your name, come up and sit on this stool."
"Ok." The four guys seemed to looked puzzle at their sorting method.
"Daoming, Shannon" Professor McGonagall announced from the same scroll. There was some excitedly chattering around the hall as the guy walked up and sat on the stool.
"Why are you putting that dirty thing on my hair?? It's styled, you know." The guy named Shannon said.
"This is the sorting routine. I assure you that it won't mess up your hair." Professor McGonagall replied impatiently. "HUFFLEPUFF!!"
"Huaze, Lewell" The quiet and expressionless guy went up and sat down on the stool as Professor McGonagall placed it over his hair. "HUFFLEPUFF!!"
"Meizuo, Malcolm" The guy walked up, turning back to the student population and started waving at some girls.
"Please take a seat." Malcolm sat down while continuing his waving frenzy with some blushing girls.
"HUFFLEPUFF!!"
"Ximen, Xavier" The guy winked at some girls causing little shrieks from girls in various groups.
"HUFFLEPUFF!!"
"Now we can resume to our dinner, hoping for no more interruptions." Dumbledore said in an amusing tone.
The four guys sat at the corner of the Hufflepuff table by themselves. Girls were ogling and walking up to them as they tried to eat. It appeared to be a normal practice for them to be surrounded by girls that they continued eating as the rest of female population bombarded them one after another.
"Don't you think the guy named Shannon looked so cool and cute??" Lily asked Arabella and Stefanie who were watching the guys amidst the crowd of girls.
"I prefer Xavier, he looked much more friendly as compared to the rest." Arabella said. The four Hufflepuffs appeared to be fully blocked by the overfriendly Hufflepuff female population.
"I like the mysterious and calm Lewell though. I think he looks great!!" Stefanie said. The four guys Hufflepuffs had totally disappeared from their view. The three girls continued eating and talked about the new guys.
"What's with the guys?? I think they looked gay!!" James said, looking at the three excitedly chattering girls next to him.
"I think they look great!! You guys are just jealous!!" Lily retorted.
"Who?? We?? Jealous?? Nah!!" Sirius replied dismissively.
"Are you sure?? Someone else, for once, was getting more attention than the Marauders." Lily joked.
"We don't mind. They're just pretty faces. Unlike us." Remus replied.
"You guys sure you don't mind??"
"Of course."
"At least you guys have girls to ogle and we have guys."
"I wouldn't dream of looking at those guys. They look sissy!!"
"I think they're pretty cool."
"I think so too."
"That's you girls only. Not us."
"Well, let's ignore the immature guys."
"Food more important."
"I still think Shannon look cute."
"Lewell!!"
"Xavier!!"
"Whatever!!" Lily said as they continued eating and talking the four Hufflepuffs. The topic of the evening, and probably the rest of the week would just be nothing but the exchange students.