KARMA POLICE Harry Potter

four. hogwarts at last

THE FOUR OF THEM sat together at the Gryffindor table, their silence a mutual agreement as they awaited Dumbledore's impending speech. Still reeling from the encounter with the dementor, they found it difficult to engage in conversation, each lost in their own thoughts.

Iris tuned out Dumbledore's speech, her mind preoccupied with recent events, her gaze distant as she stared into space. She barely registered the murmur of voices around her, her thoughts consumed by the chilling encounter on the train.

It wasn't until the sorting ceremony began that Iris snapped back to attention, her focus shifting to the newcomers making their way to the front of the Great Hall.

Names of first years were called one by one, each stepping nervously up to the sorting hat as their fate was decided. Iris observed, most of them reacted like Iris did her first year, nervous but happy, then extra happy as they walked over to their new house tables.

Then, a name stood out among the rest. "Snape, Penny," Professor McGonagall's voice rang out, causing a ripple of surprise and murmurs to spread through the Great Hall. Snape... having a child? The notion seemed almost unheard of to the Hogwarts community, and Iris couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity mingled with apprehension mixed with eagerness to find out what house she was gonna be in.

As Penny made her way to the stool, Iris's gaze shifted to Penny's father, Professor Snape, who appeared more alert and focused than ever before. His demeanor was tense, as if he were holding his breath in anticipation of the sorting outcome.

With the sorting hat placed upon her head, Iris observed Penny's nervous posture, her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation. The sorting hat's voice echoed through the hall, its words carrying a weight of significance as it delved into Penny's lineage.

"Smart, kind, loyal, oh yes loyal," the sorting hat mused, eliciting a collective intake of breath from the onlookers. Iris felt a surge of curiosity and empathy for Penny, wondering how she would be sorted given her family background.

Then, the hat made its decision. "HUFFLEPUFF!" it declared, the word echoing through the hall with finality. Gasps and whispers filled the air as the unexpected sorting outcome reverberated among the students.

Iris's eyes widened in astonishment, her gaze darting between Penny and Snape trying to see the reaction he was having, seemed most everyone was.

Snape's reaction was understandable, his complexion paling as if he had seen a ghost. Iris couldn't blame him for his evident shock; the sorting of his daughter into Hufflepuff was undoubtedly a surprising turn of events. I mean he was the head of Slytherin house.

As Penny cheerfully made her way to her new house table, Iris couldn't help but notice at the strange contrast between her demeanor and her family legacy. Despite the expectations placed upon her, Penny exuded a sense of warmth and optimism that seemed at odds with her surname. It was a reminder that one's fate was not solely determined by their lineage, but by their own choices and character.

Iris couldn't help but feel a surge of shock. How on earth did the daughter of one of the most un-Hufflepuff individuals end up in Hufflepuff?

The insufferable sound of Malfoy's voice snapped Iris back to reality, prompting her and the others to turn their attention towards him. "Potter," he sneered, "Is it true you fainted? Like really fainted?"

Iris's patience wore thin at Malfoy's relentless taunting. "Why don't you shut up, Malfoy," she retorted sharply.

Draco Malfoy was technically Iris's cousin. Her mother was the sister of Narcissa Malfoy, but their family disowned Iris's mother when they discovered she had been sorted into Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin.