Chapter 2
The Start of Term
I managed to not see my brother until we were already sitting down in the Great Hall, waiting for the start of the year feast. He walked in, accompanied by Ron and Hermione, and made his way to the Gryffindor table. My eyes followed him until he sat down and started to look around the Hall. Our eyes met briefly before I turned away.
"You noticed that oaf, Hagrid, wasn't escorting the first years?" I heard Draco say to Pansy.
"Maybe he finally got sacked," she responded with a laugh.
"One can only hope," Draco said, smiling. He sat between Pansy and me, Zabini was on my other side. Crabbe and Goyle were sitting opposite to us.
"Sorry, Chloe, I know you liked him." Pansy said, not sounding sorry.
"I like Hagrid as a person, not a teacher." I clarified. "But now, I honestly don't see him being my friend anymore."
"So," Draco whispered to me, leaning close to my ear. "What are you going to do about your brother, now that you are in the same place together?"
"I don't know," I sighed. "I don't really want to talk to him, but I know he's going to try to see me."
"You know, we could make it so he can't talk to you." Draco said.
"How?"
"I'll have Crabbe and Goyle keep an eye out and stop him if he tries to approach you." Draco offered. "They'll do anything I tell them to."
"Alright," I said with a small nod. "At least for now, I can't avoid him forever."
Draco leaned across the table and told Crabbe and Goyle to keep an eye out for my brother and that if he looked like he was going to try and talk to me, to block him from approaching. The pair of them nodded, and looked around to make sure Harry wasn't anywhere near us.
I looked up at the staff table and I noticed a new witch sitting next to Professor Dumbledore. She was squat with short curly mouse brown hair, with a pink band that matched her pink robes. Her face reminded me of a toad. I suppose that would be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Once the students were settled into the Hall, the sorting ceremony started. Professor McGonagall walked in, carrying the sorting hat and placed it on a stool in the front of the four house tables. The first years, who had followed Professor McGonagall, lined up in front of the staff table. Their faces were nervous looking, and for a moment I remembered my first year when I stood up there to be sorted.
The Hall quieted down as everyone waited for the sorting hat to begin its song. The rip at the brim of the hat opened wide and it 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."
The hat became motionless once more. Applause broke out but it was punctured with mutterings and whispers. All across the Great Hall students were exchanging words with their neighbors. Normally, the sorting hat would just sing about the attributes the four houses looked for and its part in the sorting. This time, however, it seemed to be trying to warn the school.
"Has it ever given warnings like that before?" I asked to no one in particular.
"I'm not sure," Draco answered. "Perhaps my father would know."
The mutterings and whispers stopped as Professor McGonagall began to call out the names of the first years. Slowly the line of first years grew smaller and smaller as they joined the tables of the houses they were sorted into. Eventually, there was no one left to sort and Professor McGonagall took the sorting hat away as Professor Dumbledore stood on his feet.
"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice. His arms were stretched wide, and he had a beaming smile on his lips. "Welcome. To our old hands, welcome back. There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in." There was an appreciative laugh and light applause as Dumbledore sat back down.
Food appeared out of thin air on all of the tables. The Hall exploded with the sounds of forks and knives on plates as everyone started to serve themselves. I grabbed some pork chops and roasted potatoes and piled them on my plate. The food at the Malfoy's was top notch, but nothing would beat a feast at Hogwarts.
Once everyone ate their dinner, and their dessert, Dumbledore stood once more and the Hall went silent
"Well, now that we are all digesting a wonderful feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start of term notices," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling down at everyone. "First years ought to know that the forest is out of bounds to students, and a few of our older students ought to know by now too. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of things. All of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door.
We have had two changes in staffing this year. We're very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons. We are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There was a light round of applause in the Hall. "Tryouts for the house quidditch teams will take place on the-" he broke off, staring at Professor Umbridge.
For a moment no one in the Hall realized why Dumbledore stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge said, "hem, hem." It then became clear that she had stood on her feet and intended to give a speech. Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment before sitting back down and allowed Umbridge to speak to the Hall.
"Thank you Headmaster," Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome." Her voice was high pitched and girlish sounding. "Hem, hem. Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say. And to see such happy little faces looking back at me." I glanced around and as far as I could no one looked happy. Students, instead, looked confused and taken aback at being talked to like we were five years old. "I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends.
The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance." Her voice had changed into more of a business like one. "The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching.
Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation…"
At this point I started to let my mind wander. Honestly, I don't think I have ever heard a more boring speech. I wasn't the only one having a hard time listening to her. The whole Hall was muttering and whispering to each other as she drawled on and on.
"... because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited." Umbridge sat down.
There was a scattering of applause in the Hall, led by Dumbledore. I looked back up to the staff table to see Dumbledore standing once again. I suppose he wanted to finish his speech that was so rudely interrupted by Umbridge.
"Thank you very much Professor Umbridge. That was most illuminating," he said, bowing to her. "Now, as I was saying. Quidditch tryouts will be held the second week of September. You can contact your head of house or quidditch captains for more details." Dumbledore continued his speech.
"So, what do you all think Umbridge meant?" Pansy asked, leaning over the table slightly to look at me.
"I didn't pay much attention to what she was saying," I confessed. "Something about keeping tradition?"
"Obviously, but how traditional do you think she meant?" Pansy said.
"You tell me," I answered. "I don't know much about Hogwarts history, never bothered to read the textbook."
"My father mentioned something about the Ministry wanting to keep an eye on Dumbledore, remember?" Draco put in. I thought back to our summer and vaguely remembered Lucius saying something along those lines.
"So," I said. "Umbridge is just here to keep an eye on things and make sure the school doesn't do something that threatens the Ministry."
"I imagine so," Draco said with a small shrug.
The Hall became noisy once more as Dumbledore excused the Hall for bed. Pansy and Draco stood up and started calling for the first years to gather around them. I got the password from Pansy, it was Salazar. I told the pair I would see them in the common room.
As I left, Crabbe and Goyle flanked either side of me. I felt like I had big burly security guards with me. It turned out to be a good thing to have Crabbe and Goyle with me. Just before we were able to get out of the Great Hall, Harry tried to get my attention.
"Chloe!" I heard him yell from behind me. I debated turning around and looking at him, but Crabbe had already stepped behind to stop him.
"Leave," Crabbe grunted at my brother.
"Get out of the way," Harry said, trying to push past him. Crabbe extended his arms to stop him.
"Chloe, call Crabbe off." Harry called to me. "We need to talk."
"Leave," Crabbe repeated to Harry. I took a deep breath and continued on my way, not turning to look at Harry once. I heard Harry use his choice of swear words at Crabbe as Goyle and I walked away.
We reached the Slytherin common room without any more fuss. Relieved that I didn't have to speak to Harry, I slumped in an armchair near the fireplace. Shortly after Goyle and I sat down, Crabbe showed up.
"He didn't give you much trouble, did he?" I asked after Crabbe sat down next to Goyle.
"Nothing I couldn't handle," Crabbe chuckled.
"Good," I said. Just then Pansy and Draco joined the group. Zabini must have gone straight to bed.
"I hate first years," Pansy complained after she settled on some cushions on the ground.
"We were first years once," I reminded her.
"We weren't that stupid though," she sighed. "Too many goddamn questions."
"It's almost like it's their first day here." I chuckled.
"Whatever," Pansy said, rolling her eyes.
"I'm going to write to my father about Umbridge," Draco said thoughtfully. "See what she's doing here."
"You'll have to let us know what he says," I said. "Right then, I think I'm off to bed." I stood up and stretched my arms.
"Me too," Pansy said, also standing up.
"Night," the boys said in unison as we walked away.
Pansy and I talked about our summers while we got ready for bed. She wanted to know every detail of what it was like to stay with the Malfoys. So I told her pretty much everything that happened, except for when I met Voldemort. I also left out the bits of me crying in the mornings when I had dreams about Cedric. I wanted to avoid talking about him.
"So, did you stay with them because of what happened to Cedric?" Pansy asked, bringing up the subject I very much didn't want to talk about.
"What?" I responded.
"I know you heard me," Pansy said. She sat down on the foot of my bed. "That has to be the reason."
"Why does it matter?" I asked.
"I just wanted to know why you were there." Pansy shrugged. "Oh, I guess I should've asked. Are you okay? You know, with the whole Cedric thing?"
"You mean, am I okay after losing someone I lost only a few months ago?" I said angrily. "No Pansy, I am not okay."
"Jeez," Pansy said, standing up. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'll leave you alone." She hurried off to her own bed.
I closed the curtains along my four poster bed to give myself some privacy. I was starting to miss my room at the Malfoy manor. I let my mind wander, and like almost every night, I ended up thinking of Cedric. I chewed the inside of my mouth as the painful memories flashed in my head. I was back at the place where my life turned upside down. I let the tears fall down my cheeks and onto my pillow. Silently, I cried myself to sleep.
AN: Thank you for reading! Leave me a review of what you think so far!