The Life He Never Knew

Chapter 7

This chapter is dedicated to Amy_The_Doctor. Thanks so much for commenting!

The hat was lifted off his head as the Gryffindor table burst out in applause. He walked over to the Gryffindor table, feeling very relieved. He didn't even realize that he had received the loudest cheer. Ron's older brothers, Fred and George, as Ron had told him, broke out in a cheer.

"We got Potter! We got Potter!"

Another one of Ron's brothers, one Ron had not spoken very highly of, stood up and pumped Harry's hand vigorously. Harry sat down across from a ghost wearing a large ruff.

Harry glanced up toward the High Table. He spotted Hagrid, who smiled in his direction, and Dumbledore. And then he saw Snape. Both parents had had a lot to say about the Potions Master. Everything James said was bad. Lily seemed torn. She had stopped hanging out with him after he called her a Mudblood, but she still had fond memories with him.

"Weasley, Ronald!"

Harry crossed his fingers under the table.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindors.

"Well done, Ron," Percy Weasley said importantly.

The sorting ended with "Zabini, Blaise!" in Slytherin. Professor McGonagall then rolled up the scroll and took away the Sorting Hat.

It wasn't until she had done this, and he had looked down at his plate, that he realized how hungry he was! The trolley witch's treats seemed years ago. Just as he was thinking that maybe they would get to eat, Dumbldore rose from his chair.

"Welcome!" he cried. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Be fore we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

Everyone clapped as he sat down. Harry laughed and clapped along with them, having met Dumbledore before, and knew that he was an odd, but wonderful man.

And then, to Harry's relief, food appeared on the tables. Famished, Harry dug in. Everything tasted amazing. The mashed potatoes were salty and butter filled in his mouth. The pork chops were just as he liked them, and the fries were better than his mum's!

"That looks good," the ghost with the ruff said, rather sadly.

"You can't eat?" Harry asked in surprise, then realized that made sense.

"I haven't eaten in over four hundred years," the ghost sighed. "I guess I don't need to, but I do miss it. I watch the beginning feasts every year, and every year I wish I was one of the hundreds of students. Have I introduced myself? I'm Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed in realization, just as Ron cried,

"I know who you are! My brothers told me about you! You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

Harry nodded. "Dad said you're wicked cool," he grinned, remembering James' stories about Nick's head.

"I prefer Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-" he started, but was interrupted by Seamus Finnigan.

"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

Irked, Nick grabbed his left ear and pulled. Although Harry had been prepared for it, it was still shocking. Sir Nicholas' head swung right off his neck.

Seeing their stunned faces seemed to put him back into a good mood. Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back on. "So! New Gryffindors! I sure hope that you are going to help us win the house cup this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherin has won the last six years in a row. The Bloody Baron is becoming almost unbearable - he's the Slytherin ghost."