𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 - 𝐝.𝐦 !!𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝!!

𝙞𝙢 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚

After getting caught by xavier, I rejoined my friends in their compartment. When we had gotten off the train, instead of hagrid greeting us like he always does, it was professor grubbly plank. How come she's escorting the first years across the lake instead of hagrid?

"Did everyone see that grubbly plank woman?" Ginny asked. "What's she doing back here? Hagrid can't have left, can he?"

"I'll be quite glad if he has," Luna said. "he isn't a very good teacher, is he?"

"Yes, he is!" Harry, ron, ginny and I said angrily.

I looked over to hermione, who was silent. She cleared her throat and quickly said, "Erm... yes... he's very good."

"Well, we in ravenclaw think he's a bit of a joke." Luna was unfazed by what we said.

"You've got a rubbish sense of humor then." Ron snapped.

It didn't seem to bother luna with ron's rudeness. On the contrary, she simply watched him for a while as though he were a mildly interesting television program.

Rattling and swaying, the carriages moved in convoy up the road. When they passed between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars on either side of the gates, I was able to see the castle perfectly. I'm home! Once the carriages stopped, we all got out, and hurried up the steps. We walked into the great hall, and my stomach started to growl.

"He's not here." Harry said, as we sat down at the gryffindor table.

Knowing he meant hagrid, I scanned the staff table.

"He can't have left." I said, slightly anxious.

"Of course he hasn't." Harry said firmly.

"You don't think he's... hurt, or anything, do you?" Hermione sounded uneasy.

Harry shook his head at once. "No."

"But where is he, then?" Ron wondered.

Harry shrugged. He leaned close to me, and whispered in my ear, "You haven't seen you-know-who all summer, have you?"

My blood ran cold. I didn't know how to respond. My eyes met his, and I badly wanted to tell him the truth. "No, not at all. He wasn't even mentioned in my house. Why?"

"Just wondering." I think he believed me. He looked back up to the staff table, and looked around. "It's that umbridge woman!"

"Who?" Hermione questioned.

"She was at my hearing, she works for fudge!"

"Nice cardigan." Ron laughed.

"She works for fudge?" Hermione repeated, frowning. "What on earth is she doing here, then?"

"Don't know."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "No, no, surely not."

I didn't understand what she was talking about but did not ask; my attention had been caught by professor mcgonagall, who was leading the first years up to the front. Mcgonagall placed the stool, and old hat down in front of everyone. We waited for the new song the hat would sing every year. The rip near the brim opened like a mouth, and started 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 some day be divided,

For where's 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

Which brave deeds to their name.'

Said hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot,

And teach 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...

I zoned the song out, and looked over to the slytherin table. Draco locked eyes with me and winked. Heat rose to my cheeks. I snapped back to the hat's song when it said something interesting.

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.

I hesitated before applauding with the rest of the room.

"Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?" Ron said, eyebrows raised.

"Too right it has." Harry agreed.

"I don't really like the sound of that." I muttered.

"I wonder if it's ever given warnings before?" Hermione said.

"Yes, indeed." Nearly headless nick said. "The hat feels itself honor bound to give the school due warnings whenever it feels-"

But professor mcgonagall, who was waiting to read out the list of first years' names, was giving the whispering students the sort of look that scorches. Nearly headless nick placed a see through finger to his lips as the muttering came to an abrupt halt. We stayed silent as all the first years were sorted. Once that was over, dumbledore stood up.

"To our newcomers," Dumbledore beamed. "welcome! To our old hands - welcome back! There is a time for speechmaking, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

The plates in front of us filled with food. I dug in.

~~~

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast," Dumbledore started once we were all done eating. "I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start of term notices. First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students - and a few of our older students ought to know by now too." I exchanged smirks with harry, ron and hermione. "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 other 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 are very pleased to welcome back professor grubbly plank, who will be taking the care of magical creatures lessons. We are also delighted to introduce professor umbridge, our new d.a.d.a teacher." Dumbledore continued, "Tryouts for the house quidditch teams will take place on the-"

"Hem hem."

I gasped. "Professor umbridge did not just cut dumbledore off!"

Umbridge placed her bag on the table, and stood to her feet, walking towards the front. She was a small little thing. "Thank you, headmaster for those kind words of welcome." Her voice was unnaturally high. "Well, it is lovely to be back at hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little smiles looking up at me!" I looked around the room. What smiles? "I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

"That's likely." I heard the weasley twins say.

Umbridge turned her beady little eyes to them before continuing. "The ministry of magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born with 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." She paused and gave teachers a little bow. "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 or our tired and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized 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 need to be perfected and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

She sat back in her seat, and dumbledore clapped. A few students joined in, but stopped after bringing their hands together twice.

Dumbledore stood back up again. "Thank you very much, professor umbridge, that was most illuminating." His eyes twinkled at me. "Now, as I was saying, quidditch tryouts will be held..."

"Yes, it certainly was illuminating." Hermione said in a low voice.

"You're not telling me you enjoyed it?" Ron frowned at her. "That was the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with percy."

"She said illuminating, not enjoyable." I laughed. "It explained a lot."

"Did it?" Harry said in surprise. "Sounded like a load of waffle to me."

"There was something important stuff hidden in the waffle." Hermione said.

"Was there?" Ron said blankly.

"How about: 'pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited'? Or: 'progress for progress's sake must be discouraged'?"

"Well, what does that mean?" Ron was impatient.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll tell you what it means. It means the ministry's interfering at hogwarts."

There was a great clattering and banging all around us. Dumbledore had obviously just dismissed the school, because everyone was standing up ready to leave the hall.

Hermione jumped up, looking flustered. "Ron, y/n, we're supposed to show the first years where to go!"

"Right!" I jumped up as well.

Ron followed my lead. "Hey, you lot! Midgets!"

I started busting a gut.

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "You can't call them midgets! - First years! This way, please!"

I waved to harry as the first years surrounded the three of us. We led them to the opening of the great hall at the same time as slytherin. Draco smirked, motioning me towards him. I told hermione and ron I would catch up with them and joined draco.

"Yes?"

"Hey, I was thinking you and I can meet up with each other in the prefects bathroom?" He grinned.

"Draco lucius malfoy, we just got here. Wait at least until tomorrow." I pushed his shoulder jokingly.

Xavier came up, shouldering past us. "Get a room, you two. No one wants to see any of that."