An American At Hogwarts: Book Three

Chapter Twelve

"Hey, look," hissed Lee, turning our attention towards the teacher's table. Since we had to wait until after the Sorting to actually eat food, we had nothing better to do right now than scan the staff for the new DADA teacher. "Grubbly-Plank's up there instead of Hagrid!"

I furrowed my eyebrows, scanning Hagrid's usual place to find Grubbly-Plank instead.

"Weird. I wonder where Hagrid is?"

"I don't know, but I do know one thing: the new DADA teacher has a hideous sense of style," said Alicia. I followed her gaze along the table until it landed on a middle-aged woman with a fluffy pink sweater and matching pink headband. She was whispering in Dumbledore's ear, not giving any of us second looks even though just about everyone in the Hall was staring at her.

"I wonder who she is," I mused, mostly just thinking out loud.

"No idea," said Fred.

"I just hope she's good," added George.

I nodded my agreement, but before we could speculate further, Professor McGonagall swept into the Hall, a long line of first years behind her.

"Geeze, Cedric was right," I muttered as they passed. "They do look smaller than I remember."

"It feels like another life we were first walking in here like that," Angelina agreed. We all stared as they passed, the chatter slowly dying out in the Great Hall as McGonagall brought out the three-legged stool with the Sorting Hat on top.

Everyone waited with bated breath for the Hat's usual song. I'd only heard it twice, but it always talked about the traits of the houses as a sort of hype up for the actual sorting.

That's not what we got this year.

The rip near the hat's brim opened wide, and the hat sent it's song booming across the Hall. It started with the history of the school, and how the four founders let disagreements separate them. The differences between the Houses were outlined, but the Hat focused more on the founders and their arguments almost tearing the school apart, until Slytherin finally left. Then, the Hat continued even further off its usual path:

And now 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 to split you

Still I worry that it's wrong

Though I must fulfill my duty

And I 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.

Everyone in the Great Hall started clapping, even as they whispered amongst each other, but I was frozen in my seat. The Hat's words replayed in my mind, bringing a dark cloud into the room every time I thought back through them. Slowly, I turned to look across the Hall to the Slytherin table. Adrian and Myrah were muttering nervously with each other, but Jackson was looking straight at me.