Harry
With Ron and Hermione busy with their prefect’s meeting, I had been left to find a compartment with Ginny and Neville. We ended up in one occupied by who I found out to be Luna Lovegood. It had been nearly an hour into the trip before Ron and Hermione returned. By then, the food trolley had already gone by. Ginny, Neville and I had finished the Pumpkin Pasties and were swapping Chocolate Frog cards when they slid into the compartment.
“I’m starving,” Ron said, stowing Pigwidgeon next to Hedwig in the luggage rack.
“Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House,” Hermione said, looking thoroughly disgruntled as she took her seat. “Boy and girl from each.”
“And guess who’s a Slytherin prefect?” Ron said.
“Malfoy,” I answered, my worst fear confirmed.
“’Course,” Ron said bitterly, stuffing a Chocolate Frog into his mouth and taking another.
“And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson,” Hermione added viously. “How she got to be a prefect when she’s thicker than a concussed troll…I wish Eleanor would have been eligible, at least she doesn’t march around calling people mudbloods.”
“Who’s Hufflepuff?” I asked.
“Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot,” Ron answered thickly through his mouthful of chocolate.
“And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw,” Hermione said.
Suddenly the door of our compartment opened again, and I turned to find Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle glaring down at us.
“What?” I asked aggressively, sure he wanted to continue our conversation from the platform.
“Manners, Potter, or I’ll have to give you a detention,” Malfoy drawled, his calmness is stark contrast with his attitude just a mere hour before. “You see, I unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments.”
“Yeah,” I said, “but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone.”
The rest of the compartment laughed at this and Malfoy’s lip curled.
“Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?”
“Shut up, Malfoy,” Hermione said sharply.
“I seem to have touched a nerve,” Malfoy said, a broadening smirk on his face. “Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I’ll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line.”
“Get out!” Hermione said, standing up.
With one last malicious look my way, Malfoy and his goons left the compartment. I jumped up and stuck my head out of the door.
“And stay away from Eleanor, Malfoy.” I shouted down the train corridor.
“I don’t think that’s up to you, Potter.” Malfoy shouted back, not even bothering to turn and face me again.
As I sat back down in the compartment, I noticed that the look on Hermione’s face meant that she had caught on to Malfoy’s statement the same way that I had. As much as I wanted to return to Hogwarts, nothing seemed to be going well so far. Now I was plagued with the fact that I had hurt Eleanor and the fact that Sirius had been recognized on the platform all because he wanted to be there for me.
Ron and Hermione eventually left the compartment again to perform their prefect duties. The trip to Hogwarts was, in whole, lack luster. As the train pulled into the station, I tried to juggle not only my trunk and Hedwig, but also Pigwidgeon and Crookshanks.
“I’ll carry that owl, if you like,” Luna said, reaching out for Pigwidgoen.
“Oh – er – thanks,” I said, handing the cage off to her and hoisting Hedwig’s more securely into my arms.
To my relief, Ginny also helped by taking Crookshanks out of my hands.
It took a few minutes to shuffle our way through the throng of students getting off the train, but as we stepped onto Hogsmeade platform I heard an unfamiliar voice calling out, “First years line up over here, please! All first years to me!”
A lantern came swinging in the direction of the train and I could see through its light the prominent chin and severe haircut of Professor Grubbly-Plank, the witch who had taken over Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures lessons for a while the previous year.
“Where’s Hagrid?” I asked out loud.
“I don’t’ know,” Ginny said, “but we’d better get out of the way, we’re blocking the door.”
“Oh, yeah…”
As we moved toward the carriages on the other end of the platform, I became separated from Ginny. I kept trying to look over the heads of the other students for any sign of Hagrid, but I never did find him.
He can’t have left, right? He’s just got a cold or something…
When I finally reached the carriages, I looked down the line of them in search of Ron and Hermione. It wasn’t until my second look over that I realized something had changed. The carriages that took us from the platform to the castle had always been horseless. I had always assumed they were driven forward by some sort of enchantment. Now, however, there were two horses harnessed to the front of each carriage.
These weren’t normal horses though. The creatures were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes were simply white and staring. They had wings sprouting from their backs – vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. In the gloom of the night, they looked eerie and sinister.
What in the world were these things? Why were they suddenly pulling the carriages when the carriages had always been capable of moving on their own?
“Where’s Pig?” Ron asked from just behind me.
“That Luna girl was carrying him,” I answered, turning quickly, eager to ask Ron about Hagrid. “Where d’you reckon –“
“– Hagrid is? I dunno,” Ron said, sounding worried. “He’d better be okay…”
“Malfoy was being absolutely foul to a first year back there,” Hermione said as she caught up with us, “I swear I’m going to report him, he’s only had his badge three minutes and he’s using it to bully people worse than ever…Where’s Crookshanks?”
“Ginny’s got him,” I answered. “So, what do you reckon those things are?” I asked Ron, pointing toward the strange horses.
“What things?”
“Those horse things.”
“What horse things?”
“The horse things pulling the carriages!” I said impatiently. They were standing right in front of us, how was Ron unable to understand what I was talking about?
“What are you talking about?” Ron asked.
“I’m talking about – look!”
I held my hand out toward the creature. Ron stared straight at it for a second, then looked back at me confused.
“What am I supposed to be looking at?”
“At the – there, between the shafts! Harnessed to the coach! It’s right there in front –“
Ron continued looking at the front of the carriage, but he was clearly still confused.
“Can’t…can’t you see them?”
“See what?”
“Can’t you see what’s pulling the carriages?”
“Are you feeling all right, Harry?” Ron asked, looking seriously alarmed now.
“I…yeah…”
I turned away from Ron, uncertain why he couldn’t see the same horsese that I was seeing. As I was about to step into our carriage, I caught sight of Eleanor down the platform. I couldn’t be sure, but it certainly looked as though she was staring right at the horses in front of her carriage. Could she see them too?
Eleanor
“Eleanor, where are you going?”
I had tried to pry myself from Astoria and Harper to head for the dungeons as we made our way into the Entrance Hall, but it was no good. Astoria had noticed quickly enough to halt my escape to the Slytherin Common Room. Marching up to me she took my hand and began dragging me toward the Great Hall again.
“You don’t want to miss the Welcoming Feast, do you?” She asked.
“Yes, actually. I would love to miss it.” I answered.
“Well that’s too bad, I’m not letting you escape tonight.”
With Astoria’s firm grip on my hand and Harper following closely behind us, there was no where to go. I allowed myself to be shifted through the crowd of students toward the Slytherin end of the hall.
The Great Hall was filled with chatter, and Astoria was quick to join in with our fellow Slytherins. I couldn’t bring myself to do the same. In all honestly, the events of yesterday and today had seemed to drain all the energy from me. I knew at the end of last term that I didn’t want to return to Hogwarts. I never could have guessed just how terrible it would feel to be here again though. It wasn’t just the events of the previous year, it was deeper than that. It was as though my entire being could sense how little I belonged here.
“You all right there?” Harper asked, raising a questioning brow in my direction.
“Yeah, I’m just tired.” I answered quietly.
“Did you and Malfoy have a fight or something?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“He keeps looking at you, and he seems pretty confused or something.” Harper answered, nodding his head in Malfoy’s direction.
I looked down the length of the table, and sure enough, he had been looking my way. As I made eye contact with him, he turned away quickly. I had done the same though, still not wanting to face him after our brief encounter on the platform.
“What’s going on with you two anyway?” Harper said.
“What do you mean?”
“You and Malfoy. Are you a thing, or what?”
I could feel my eyes widen at his statement. Why would he think that?
“Sorry,” He said quickly, taking notice of my perplexed expression, “you were just together a lot last term, I thought you might be dating or something. A lot of people thought that.”
“Who?” I asked, too loudly.
A number of the students around us turned their heads in our direction.
“Don’t listen to her, Jace.” Astoria said, waving a lazy hand through the air. “She’s completely oblivious. If you ask me –“
“No one’s asked you anything, Astoria.” I said harshly.
As Astoria was about to open her mouth again, the doors of the Great Hall swung open. McGonagall entered, trailed by a long line of new first years.
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 someday 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 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
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 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
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 amoung us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four,
Had once help 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 dueling 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 once 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 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.
The hat became motionless as applause broke out, though it was punctured by a smattering of whispers and muttering. I couldn’t help but think over the words of the Sorting Hat’s song. It was a clear warning, that the houses needed to stand together to be their strongest against the darkness that was coming. Even the Sorting Hat could feel the tides of change drawing in around us.
“Well that was depressing.” Astoria said flatly.
“Can you imagine? Uniting the houses?” Harper said as he scrunched his nose in disgust. “We’re not meant to get along.”
“Wow, what a Slytherin thing of you to say?” I retorted.
“You can’t tell me you honestly think that Slytherins and Gryffindors could get along.” He said. “Just look at you and Potter. You’re bloody related and yet you two clearly can’t stand each other.”
“Fu–“ I started.
“Shut it, Jace.” Astoria said, giving him a glare I hadn’t even known she could manage.
Scoffing, Jace turned his attention to the now ongoing sorting. Astoria gave me a kind smile, and I couldn’t help but feel somewhat grateful toward her. I mouthed a silent “Thank you,” before my turning my own attention back toward the sorting of the newest students.
When the sorting had finally drawn to a close, Dumbledore stood, holding his arms out in welcome to the students.
“To our newcomers,” he said in a ringing voice, “welcome! To our old hands – welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!”
The tables in the Hall suddenly filled with food, selections of every kind imaginable. The only thing I was really interested in consuming at that moment wasn’t present though. Of course, I hadn’t expected it to be, it wasn’t something a school would willing provide its pupils. I instead settled for a bland soup, taking small sips every few minutes to appease Astoria who had a habit of checking to make sure I was eating whenever I was actually present in the Great Hall.
With the massive amounts of food, the talking had died down considerably. No one near our section of the Slytherin table spoke during the meal, they all simply enjoyed the food until finally the plates had been magically cleared and Dumbledore stood again.
“Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices,” he said. “First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students – and a few of our older students out to know by now too.
“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 care of Maical Creatures lessons.”
“Where has Hagrid gone then?” I asked quietly.
“Who knows, but from what I’ve heard, that Grubbly-Plank woman actually knows what she’s talking about.” Astoria said.
I couldn’t help but wonder what Hagrid was doing. Could he be working for the Order? On a mission?
“We are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.”
There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause. As the noise died down once again, Dumbledore attempted to move on. “Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the –“
“Hem, Hem,” could be faintly heard, cutting Dumbledore’s speech short.
A woman stood from the Head Table. She wore a fluffy pink cardigan, and had a pink headband perched in her short and curly, mouse-brown hair.
In an odd moment of silent confusion, Dumbledore yielded to the woman, the new Defense teacher, Professor Umbridge.
“Thank you, Headmaster,” the woman said, stepping up to the front of the teachers’ platform, “for those kind words of welcome. Well it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!”
“Where do you think they found this one?” Harper asked with a smirk.
“No idea.” I answered.
“Well wherever she came from, she needs to send that cardigan back.” Astoria said, a horrorfied expression plastered to her face. “It’s atrocious!”
“I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I’m sure we’ll be very good friends!” Umbridge continued. “The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through 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.
“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 progresse’s sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation…”
This wasn’t good. From what I could deduce from Umbridge’s speech, she was a part of the Ministry. Has this happened before? Has the Ministry every interfered with Hogwarts so directly? From what I knew of the school historically speaking, I didn’t believe so. From the ridiculousness of the events of last year, it also didn’t seem that the Ministry put their hands into the business of Hogwarts too recently either, at least not in this way. So what was she doing here? Was this all because of Harry and Dumbledore? Was this another attempt by the Ministry to somehow quiet them? It seemed as though it had to be.
“…because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgement. 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 needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that out to be prohibited.”
Whatever this woman was up to, it wasn’t going to be good.
YOU ARE READING
Dark
Fiksi PenggemarEleanor, newly discovered by Dumbledore, is plucked out of her orphanage to attend Hogwarts. She was unaware of who her family had been, and that she had any remaining relatives left. But when she first meets her brother, the disappointing welcome h...
