Flames

Chapter 8

A/N:

Enjoy this week, guys!

The Great Hall was every bit as great as Narcissa had described it.

The floors were polished, the long tables for each house filled to the brim with students, and candles, long and glimmering, floated just under the ceiling.

"You know," said the same high-pitched ridiculous voice Hydrus heard back on the train. "I read in Hogwarts: A History, that the ceiling was charmed to be transparent. I mean, look at it, if I hadn't known there was a charm applied, I would've thought the ceiling to be made of glass. Oh, there are so many different applications for magic. Did you know that the portraits talk and move, and that the staircases do the same? I mean, no obviously, the stairs don't talk, but they move, and whenever they want. Do you think I'll ever get lost in the castle? I can't bear the thought of being late to class at any time. Can you?"

And when Granger quit talking, Hydrus breathed a great sigh of relief, which turned quickly into a groan, when he realized that she had been talking to him.

"Er, yes?" He said.

Draco and Theodore sniggered loudly.

So did a red-headed boy, who wore robes that looked patched and frayed. On his shoulder sat a weaseling rat, who flicked its whiskers every so often.

"He doesn't want to listen to your rambling, Granger," the boy with red hair said. "Do us all a favour and shut up."

Hydrus wanted to thank the boy, and had opened his mouth to do so, until he realized that the boy with red hair and second hand robes... he was a Weasley.

Quickly, he closed his mouth and stood at rapt attention, listening to the Sorting Hat sing a tune about the four houses.

The tall and severe-looking Professor McGonagall unraveled a scroll that was frayed and yellowed at the ends. In a strong voice, she called:

"Abbott, Hannah."

A young girl with brown hair and quivering legs walked over to the stool and put on the hat. It was great and black, with heavy folds marking two eyes and a great big mouth that called "HUFFLEPUFF" after two minutes.

He watched as Millicent Bulstrode went to Slytherin, Neville Longbottom went to Gryffindor, Lavender Brown went to Hufflepuff, somehow the annoying Granger thing went to Gryffindor, the Patil twins got put into Ravenclaw and Daphne, of course, got put into Slytherin. Most surprising of all, the Malfoy vassals, Crabbe and Goyle, were placed... in Hufflepuff.

Macmillan Ernie was called up, where he strut up to the stool, and the hat yelled a great HUFFLEPUFF.

"Malfoy, Draco," Professor McGonagall read.

Hydrus watched him, chin raised, hair gelled back.

The hat was on his head for perhaps a second, not even, before it screamed "SLYTHERIN!"

A great amount of cheers erupted from the table farthest to the left, and Draco was ushered over by a great crowd of Slytherins.

But the shouts and clapping soon died, for it seemed people knew who would come after Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy, Hydrus."

Whispers, quick as an arrow whistled through the Great Hall.

"The Boy-Who-Lived, adopted by the Malfoys..."

"Is he evil, then?"

"His relatives died in a fire... some say it was started by him."