Melody Riddle and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 11: Another Sorting, Another Announcement

When our carriage stopped, we gradually got out to make our way in. Indeed we were the only ones with umbrellas as people ran in for shelter. There was extra commotion with Peeves throwing water balloons at people.

In the torch-lit entrance hall, the marble staircase nearby, we all breathed a sigh of relief. I took their umbrellas, waving my wand for all of them to disappear save for my original umbrella that I shrunk back down to size.

We went into the Great Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table. The only parts of us that were wet were our shoes. The Hall was looking as good as always, the four long tables for each of the Houses, laden with golden plates and goblets gleaming from the hundred – maybe thousands – of candles floating over them in midair.

"I'm starving," Draco complained. "They'd better hurry up!"

Becky mumbled.

"What?" Draco asked.

"I said," she repeated loudly, "that if you want to eat, you can eat the goblets and plates. You already ate a whole bunch of candy on the train that was as hard to chew as these would be."

"No," he said indignantly, "no they weren't!"

"Becky, now would not be the time to make fun of Draco on how hungry he is," I said.

"Right, we're all hungry," Marcus agreed.

Becky gave a little playful smile, "Think I don't know that? I just believe that he shouldn't have so much candy on the train before we get here. Did you know it only makes you hungrier? My dad learned that and told Joey, Trixy and me."

"Wait..." I said in realization. "Doesn't your sister start Hogwarts this year?"

She nodded, "Don't worry, Joey forced her to sit with him on the train — something about not wanting her to end up with riff raff like I did."

"Riffraff!" Draco exclaimed. "Your brother is off his rocker just like you."

"Can it, you twat.... In any case, she'll be in Ravenclaw like the rest of our family."

"How would you know that for sure?" I asked before Draco could retort.

"Well, I'm the odd one out, aren't I?"

"But... I seem to recall you and Joey agreeing – for once in your lives – that Trixy was evil, and got you both in trouble while somehow managing to keep herself out of it?"

"Oh, I remember that!" Draco said. "Yeah! I met Trixy last year when father was convincing your parents to let you go to Hogsmeade! To get you to stop smiling, she poured cold water down your back."

Marcus snorted.

"Well, she'll go into Ravenclaw for that – it doesn't make her cunning. She's otherwise a very sweet person!"

I shrugged, figuring that if her consistent pranks weren't enough proof that we'd have to let the hat decide. "All right then. I won't get into it...... However, I am curious. She's deaf, so how does that work? Is there some sort of board where she has to write everything down?"

"Oh no, that's too much effort. You're still thinking of the Muggle world," Becky said, patting my head lightly as if I was a child still learning how things work. "There's a spell for everything.. matter of fact, mum developed it so it'd be simpler for her and everyone that talks to her.

"The spell was placed on Trixy before we got on the train so that she can go through the school year smoothly. It goes like this: when people talk to her, she'll see the words that they're saying pop up in front of them like captions on a Muggle television. It goes vice versa, too. When she uses sign language, what she says also pops up as words in front of her."