Double Double Toil and Trouble // Two // [ON HOLD]

Chapter Seven

Hogwarts was just like how I remembered it. The stone corridors, lit torches, and moving portraits all gave me a feeling of safety. This castle was my home away from home.

The Great Hall hadn't changed a bit. There were still four long tables filled with empty plates and goblets for each house, another table at the head of the room for the teachers, candles floating along the ceiling, and the hourglasses in the corner to keep track of house points.

Nat, Draco, and I made our way over to the Slytherin table on the far left side of the room. I kept looking over at the Gryffindor table to see if Harry and Ron made an appearance yet, but the only people I recognized were Hermione, Fred, George, Percy, and a second year boy named Neville.

I gazed up at the professors' table. I recognized several teachers from last year: Professor Sprout from Herbology; the librarian, Madam Pince; Professor Flitwick from Charms; and Professor Binns from History of Magic.

There were a couple that I couldn't recognize. Towards the end of the right hand side, Gilderoy Lockhart sat with his light blue robes and pearly white teeth. Apparently he wasn't kidding when he said he would be filling the Defense Against the Dark Arts (or DATDA) position.

Besides them, there was one man that you simply couldn't miss. The headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore, was seated in the center of the table in a chair that might as well have been a throne. He had red robes, a long, white beard that stretched down below his chest, and half-moon spectacles sitting on the bridge of his nose. Again, you'd have to be blinder than my brother without his glasses to miss this man.

It became apparent that Harry and Ron would miss the Sorting Ceremony when McGonagall stood from the professors' table and left the hall to go gather the first years. I had to get clarification that they at least made it to the castle.

"Harry!"

"Ah! Don't do that!"

"Where are you two?"

"Long story short, we made it to the castle, but now Filch is leading us to Snape's office."

I let out a sigh of relief. At least they had made it to school.

"Snape's office?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing. Just make sure to say hi for me!"

"Sure, I'll get right on that after he expels us."

"Calm down. He can't do anything to you if you're not in Slytherin."

"We're almost there, I've got to go."

"Have fun."

Nat started snapping her fingers in my face. I blinked back into reality. "You good?" My friend asked. "Harry and Ron are getting chewed out by Snape." I replied with a smirk. "Oh, tell them to say hi for me." "I already took care of it."

Not even ten seconds later, the Great Hall doors opened and McGongall walked back inside, followed suit by several first years. I started looking for Ginny, and found her around the middle next to a little blonde girl.

Just like last year, Mcgonagall stood in front of the professors' table, next to a small wooden stool with an old-looking hat on it, while all the first years gathered in front of her.

Everyone in the hall was silent as they had their eyes trained on the hat. I had almost forgotten about this part of the Sorting Ceremony. The hat sprang to life atop the stool, a tear in the fabric opened itself, and it began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see.
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.