{1st of September, 1991}
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.
"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
"Thank you!"
He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Cassie seemed to have understood this message, Nathaniel had now met someone that could actually understand Cassie's brain.
"Is he -- a bit mad?" Nate asked Percy uncertainly.
"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes,?"
Cassie's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of her were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.
Her mother had starved her for weeks on end because she just hated her. She piled her plate with a bit of everything and began to eat. It was all delicious.
"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching the students eat
"Can't you —?"
I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy - Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."
"I know who you are!" said a boy names Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you -- you're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy --" the ghost began stiffly, but Nate interrupted.
"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"
Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.
"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased with the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So -- new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable -- he's the Slytherin ghost."
She looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood.
"He seemed cool, what's it like being a ghost?" Cassie innocently questioned, he was harshly elbowed by an embarrassed Nate.
"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.
"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding -- "
"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."
The others laughed.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and was met with a grinning raven-haried boy.
"Hi, I'm Nico Potter"
Not wanting to be rude, she shook his hand and introduced herself
She then turned to see his brother shaking his head at Nico, then trying to signal me to be quiet. How rude!
"Hi, I'm Cassiopeia Black"
He started rambling on and on about himself, Cassiopeia was wishing she took his brothers warning.
Cassiopeia, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, yawned making a certain lovesick fool turn bright red. She then saw a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.
Unfortunately, the new friends didn't notice that the hall fell silent.
"Oh my merlin"
"What is it," Nathaniel asked, still nervous under the potter's glare
"That's Snivels". Cassie had chosen the wrong time to say this as there was an awkward moment when the hall was silent, plus she had said this very loudly. The entire school heard her call a teacher 'Snivels'
Suddenly the entire student body was laughing their head off, the other professors was trying to hold back their amusements, while Snape was trying not to strangle the young girl.
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again.
"Ahern -- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."
Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.
"I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Cassie had noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.
Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.
"Everyone picks their favourite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" And the school bellowed:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now, they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgotten,
just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.
Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.
"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Of you trot!"
Words: 1271
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