Dumbledore frowned thoughtfully as he stared after the young girl on her way to the Hufflepuff table, the second to last student to be Sorted this year. Normally he did his best to greet each new year of students with equanimity, not trying to tap any for any possibilities and give them all time to show their inner greatness so he could work to nurture it. Unfortunately, this year there were now two that he would have to keep very close eyes on. He did not like that at all.
Keeping an eye on Harry Potter was only reasonable, however unpalatable it was to deliberately interfere with a youngster's development. However, not only was Tom - whatever was left of him - certain to come after him again, there was a very real possibility a connection had been forged between the pair. The way the curse scar pulsed with unpleasant magic - and the fact it still had not visibly healed - suggested some of Tom's magic at the very least had been buried within, which unshielded was certain to affect those around him. He had hoped the love protections would join with feelings of family with his relatives to protect them from its influence...but if Harry had trouble bonding emotionally with them early on (all too likely given he'd witnessed his parents deaths, Muggle Psychologists had a term for that situation didn't they?), those feelings of rejection on their part might fester and be amplified by the hostile magic that could not be purged. Mrs. Figg was supposed to keep an eye on Harry to see if anything like that was happening and let him know...but all she'd been able to report was that Harry was not ill, was unhappy, but even on the few occasions he was at her home he did not discuss the situation with his relatives. While not pleasant, it was not actionable, and without anything more to go on wasn't worth risking compromising the protections in place. A close eye would have to be kept on Harry to ensure he was not influenced by whatever Tom had unwittingly inflicted upon him. The fact he received the brother to Tom's wand just added to that concern...
And now the second student Albus would need to keep a close eye on. It had intrigued him that Miss Wyrm seemed so attached to Harry when his only report of contact with her - he'd been receiving reports of anyone who had contact with Harry prior to the train, to ensure no one sought to take advantage of him - had been a brief meeting in Ollivander's, and yet she seemed all but attached to his hip, clinging to him tightly and nuzzling him. At first Dumbledore had thought it was some sort of 'fan crush' due to Harry's fame, but at Harry's age he would have more likely backed away from something like that. Noticing Miss Granger trying to subtly press against Harry changed the perspective, though, especially when Penny was appreciative of Mr. Weasley's offer of support. She was trying to offer him comfort and platonic affection...but why so fiercely when they had barely met? Nothing in the Wyrm family history that he had access to suggested anything malicious - the family had in fact ignored the conflict Tom had caused, and the prior one caused by Grindelwald - but her behavior didn't fit with what he knew of children, or at least in any way he was able to conclude with certainty.
And on top of that, the Sorting Hat had visibly flinched when placed on her head. That simply did not happen, and suggested the Hat had encountered something truly startling in her head. It likely wasn't anything inherently dangerous given that she was still Sorted, but that was not something that could simply be ignored.
As Blaise Zabini was sorted into Slytherin, Dumbledore watched as Minerva removed the Hat and stool before standing to get everyone's attention. It was time for an ice breaker, a bit of harmless oddity to get the students to see him as human, or at least as something other than a living symbol or legend as he was sometimes treated. Yes, he was one of the most powerful and accomplished wizards alive and had more titles than he knew what to do with...but he was a teacher first, and for that he needed to be closer to the students' level. Being eccentric always helped with that. "Welcome!" he called out to the Hall. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words." He paused just long enough for everyone to turn their heads towards him, ready to listen to a possibly important speech...and broke the ice. "And here they are: Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak! Thank you!" He then sat down, smiling as he saw his ice breaker had the intended effect. Students were talking amicably, those who had been the most tense were relaxing, those who were most disciplined were amused...
...and as soon as the food appeared, Penny Wyrm leapt from her seat, vaulted off the bench to land on the Gryffindor table before racing between the dishes on all fours, managing to dodge between them without disturbing any of them in a show of agility that would have cats envious, before performing a forward leaping roll over a particularly impressive roast to land lightly in Harry's lap before snuggling up to him, much to the shock and amusement of Ronald to Harry's left, Hermione to Harry's right, and Mr. Longbottom on Hermione's other side. Harry, for his part, was startled by Penny's antics, but then promptly returned the embrace, bringing one hand up to rub behind one ear even as they both began to eat from the same plate.
Dumbledore let out a soft sigh as he saw how eagerly Harry responded to the affection. There was only one explanation for that, and it was not a pleasant one. For him to so eagerly embrace and reciprocate physical affection from someone he'd known less than a day, he must be truly starved for it. At the very least her antics did not upset those around him, suggesting there was nothing untoward about her actions or intentions. Keeping himself disciplined, Albus took a moment to see how the rest of the staff reacted to the sight as it definitely drew every eye.
Minerva seemed rather startled, but had shrugged it off almost before Dumbledore turned to look. As Head of Gryffindor House, she was too used to eccentric and attention grabbing behavior to be thrown off for long. After all, she'd had Harry's father and his friends for seven years, and already two years with Fred and George Weasley. While she wasn't unflappable, this wasn't enough to flap her.
Pomona, on the other hand, was sighing and doing her best not to bury her face in her hands. That reaction was far too understandable. As the Head of Hufflepuff House, she would be responsible for keeping Penny from causing too much of a disruption, and her antics suggested that somehow a Lion had been placed with the Badgers. This was going to be a long seven years for her, and she plainly wasn't looking forward to it just now. Hopefully Miss Wyrm proved to be more biddable than the usual Lions.
Filius was grinning ear to ear and rubbing his hands together eagerly, the same reaction he'd had when Fred and George Weasley had been Sorted into Gryffindor with the Hat offering Minerva an apology for the inconvenience. That was easy to interpret. Filius greatly enjoyed when the unexpected occurred in the school as long as it didn't put anyone in danger. He considered harmless chaos to be 'the ultimate puzzle, one that was lived rather than solved'. Plainly, he saw Miss Wyrm's antics as a sign of things to come.
Serverus was the surprise, however. He was staring right at the pair, which was to be expected. He had unresolved issues with both of Harry's parents, and how he would relate to the boy was going to be anyone's guess. However, rather than the usual sneer he bore as his standard expression of distaste or the ugly smirk when he was taking wicked pleasure in something, his face was completely neutral, almost relaxed. Albus knew him well enough to realize what that meant. Serverus was a master of Occlumency, and he used it to keep his emotional state in check and himself under control. For him to have let his face go almost slack suggested he was in such emotional turmoil that his attention was almost entirely turned inward. How very curious.
While most of the other teachers were either startled, amused, or irritated depending on their attitudes, a glance showed that Rubeus was actually chuckling while attempting to discreetly wipe his eyes. Working a quick bit of magic, Albus whispered to him, "Is something bothering you, my friend?"
Rubeus blinked in surprise, but shook his head. "Not really," he mumbled under his breath, knowing Dumbledore would hear him. "Just glad to see Penny meant it when she said she was gonna give Harry all the hugs he needs..."
Albus let off another soft sigh. Yes, that confirmed his speculation...and at the same time, eased his mind somewhat. Guided or not, a great deal of hardship awaited Harry in his future, and he apparently had very little good in his past to help him face it. At least Miss Wyrm would be a staunch support for him...and apparently simply because he needed it, rather than any selfish motivation.
Yes, definitely a pair to keep an eye on...