Collision Course

Chapter Seventeen

I stared at the lady who was trying to get our attention, and surprisingly, it was working.  It was amazing.  Especially for an old woman. 

She was tall, and her face was covered in a 'few' wrinkles, but that seemed to shimmer before my eyes.  Her blue eyes, which hid behind thin rimmed glasses, looked wise, and held years of wisdom.  She was dressed in a gray ankle-length dress, and she wore pointed toed boots.

I looked at her, and her image shimmered again.  I squinted harder.  And the mirage disappeared.  I saw a beautiful woman, with flawless skin, and a gre- Roman styled white linen dress.  Her new thick, chocolate brown, curly locks were pinned back into an intricate design with golden clips.

The moment of staring at her with out the mirage passed, and I saw the woman staring at me with an expression of.... Joy, pride, relief, and worry.  It was a new combo.  Huh.  Didn't think anyone could pull that off, but I guessed wrong.  She even made it look natural. 

I also saw Astoria staring at her.  She looked at the woman with pride and awe.  I started to realize that Astoria had the same color eyes that the woman had when she was standing without the shimmering mirage covering her.  I realized they both held wisdom, and intelligence in their postures and eyes. I smiled with after realizing their likenesses.  They were both very beautiful (at least the older woman was without the mirage). 

I refocused my energy and attention back on the older woman, as she cleared her throat again.  Instantly the entire room completely silenced themselves.  Wow.

"Hullo students," she said, with a British accent. "Shall we begin the sorting?"

A bunch of the kids sitting at the tables yelled. She laughed quietly. "I'll take that as a 'yes'.  Now first years, when I call your name, you will come and sit on the stool, and this hat will be placed on your head."

I heard a bunch of kids mumbling around, asking each other how the hack placing a hat on our heads would be able sort us into houses. And quite frankly, I would like to know too.

And I sure found out.  When the hat started talking! Since when could hats talk?!

"I know I'm not all I appear,

But give me a minute, and I'll take your ear,

For I have news you may want to hear,

But right now we have first years that need to decide,

Which find out which house their going to take to reside.

The community is tired, for last years fight,

But we will stay strong as long as you avoid plight.

The children of the enemy will take on a new light,

as the dove lead the right."

I listened with curiousity on the last for lines. They sounded different, and for those lines, the hat seemed to spew a mystical green mist. But the moment the four lines ended, the mist disappeared and the song went on.

"But enough of the sorrowed tales,

The one who is spoken of will have many prevails.

But first who all must be sorted, in one of the many houses,

The house for bravery, and courage, the mighty Gryffindor,

The house for wit, and intelligence, the wise Ravenclaw,

The house for patience and fair play, the hardworking Hufflepuff,