"who's that?"
"the pig?" the darker taylor scared them, having randomly appeared and sat down.
whack.
"she's literally dressed in all pink!"
"doesn't mean you can call her a pig!"
"if this is what love is then i don't want it," neville anxiously spoke.
"tough love?" phoebe said, her statement having come out more like a question.
"it's that umbridge woman!"
"umbitch," maddy muttered, making herself giggle.
hermione smiled for a second before realizing what she said, so she smacked her again.
"who?"
"she was at my hearing, she works for fudge!"
"nice cardigan," ron smirked.
"she works for fudge?"
"what on earth is she doing here, then?" maddy finished her girlfriend's thoughts.
"dunno," harry replied as hermione scanned the staff table.
"no, no, surely not," the brunette muttered.
professor grubbly-plank made her way to the seat that was supposed to be occupied by hagrid, meaning the great hall was about to be swarmed with nervous first-years.
sure enough, a couple seconds later, the group came in, being led by professor mcgonagall, who was carrying a stool with the sorting hat.
once the older witch arrived to the front, she placed down the things she was carrying while the first years lined up.
the great hall came to a silence, waiting for the next step of the sorting:
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 shall build and teach!'
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream, that they
Might some day 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, 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 they first 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 duelling 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 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 so split you
Still, I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfil 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.
as the ancient wizard's hat became motionless, applause and whispers erupted in the great hall, students saying some sort of remark to other students around them.
"branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?"
"too right, it has," harry agreed.
"i wonder if it's ever given warnings before?"
"yes, indeed," nearly headless nick leaned over neville, causing the boy to wince.
it's not quite comfortable when a ghost leans through you.
professor mcgonagall glared at all those who were whispering, so nearly headless nick placed a finger on his lips.
with a last frowning look that swept over the four house tables, she lowered her eyes to her long piece of parchment and began calling out names.
"abercrombie, euan."
"gryffindor!"
those with red and gold robes broke out into applause, and hermione nudged the girl beside her, who was falling asleep.
maddy noticed the kid walking towards their table, so she put on a fake smile and clapped.
as the sorting continued, ron's stomach was heard rumbling.
maddy threw the first thing she found at him, which happened to be a piece of candy from the trolley on the train.
after what seemed like forever, the final kid was sorted into hufflepuff and professor mcgonagoll marched off with the stool and hat.
"to our new-comers," dumbledore rose to his feet, arms stretched out and a huge smile on his face, "welcome! to our old hands-welcome back! there is a time for speech making, but this is not it. tuck in!"
"excellent," ron groaned as food started appearing out of no where.
"what were you saying before the sorting? about the hat giving warnings?" hermione asked the ghost.
"oh yes," nick said, glad to have a reason to not look at the starving red-head. "yes, i have heard that the hat gives several warnings before, always at times when it detects periods of great danger for the school. and always, of course, it's advice is the same: stand together, be strong from within."
"ow kunnit nofe skusin danger ifzat?" ron asked with his mouth full of food.
"i beg your-"
"how can it know if the school's in danger if it's a hat?" maddy repeated what ron said, causing everyone to send her surprised looks. "when you live with someone for this long, you kind of learn these type of things," she shrugged as the eating boy sent her a thankful look.
"i have no idea. of course, it lives in dumbledore's office, so i dare say it picks up things there."
"and it wants all the houses to be friends?" harry looked over at the slytherin table, directly at draco. "fat chance."
maddy noticed so she whacked him on the head.
"mads," hermione scolded her girlfriend.
"well, now, you shouldn't take that attitude. peaceful cooperation, that's the key. we ghosts, though we belong to separate houses, maintain links of friendship. in spite of the competitiveness between gryffindor and slytherin, i would never dream of seeking an argument with the bloody baron. don't forget about miss taylor and mister malfoy's friendship, either."
"only because you're terrified of him," ron said, ignoring the nick's last comment.
"terrified? i hope i, sir nicholas de mimsy-porpington, have never been guilty of cowardice in my life! the noble blood that runs in my veins-"
"what blood? surely you still haven't got-"
"it's a figure of speech! i assume i am still allowed the use of whichever words i like, even if the pleasures of eating and drinking are denied me! but i am quite used to students poking fun at my death, i assure you!"
"nick, he wasn't really laughing at you!" hermione furiously spoke, causing maddy to give her hand a quick squeeze.
"node iddum eentup sechew," was all the red-head could say since his mouth was full of food again. nick did not seem to think constituted an adequate apology as he swept away from the young group.
"well done, ron," hermione snapped.
"mione," maddy whispered, attempting to calm down the girl.
"what? i'm not allowed to ask a simple question?"
"oh forget it," the bright witch mumbled.
"he's not worth it," the darker girl whispered into her ear, quoting what the red-head had told her moments before she had swung at draco.
the two girls chuckled and went back to eating.
"you're going to try to fright nearly headless nick, aren't you?" phoebe raised an eyebrow at her sister, who was subtly staring at the ghost.
"what type of person would i be if i don't?"
word count- 1453
date written- october 16, 2020