Gideon Drake and the Fire Within (Harry Potter Sequel/Spinoff)

Chapter Eighteen: Home Sweet House

'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!' said the silver-robed woman. 'We'll get better acquainted in a while. For now, bon appétit!'

Gideon watched the former Healer return to her seat and begin to converse with a woman to her left. He knew from the Daily Prophet that Minerva McGonagall had retired and that there would be a new headteacher, but he hadn't expected it would be anybody he knew. He supposed the head of the wizarding hospital would be a good candidate but wondered whether she had been appointed by Hogwarts' Board of Governors or by the Ministry.

'Aren't you eating?' asked the ever-curious girl, Emma Barrington.

Gideon turned to respond and saw that gleaming platters of food had appeared from nowhere! There were all kinds of meats and pies, potato dishes of every sort, vegetables of every kind and steaming boats of gravy full to the brim. With all the delicious smells, Gideon couldn't understand how he hadn't noticed sooner.

'I'm Vinny. Did the hat speak to you guys?' Gideon heard the boy across from him ask openly.

'Yeah, but it didn't say much, it was like it was just thinking out loud.' said the boy next to him. 'I'm Brendan by the way.'

'I didn't hear anything, I was sorted pretty quickly,' said Emma a little louder than necessary. 'How about you, Gideon? It is Gideon, isn't it?'

Gideon was beginning to find the girl a little annoying. He noticed once again that people around the table other than those closest to him seemed to be listening.

'Yes, it's Gideon, but no, the hat didn't say anything,' he lied.

'Really?' said Emma with intrigue in her voice. 'That's odd! All that time, and nothing? It's supposed to be rare for anyone to take longer than five minutes to be sorted. I don't think any of the other first-years were sorted for that long, let alone nearly ten minutes!'

The girl was definitely annoying. Gideon stuck by his story, 'Nope, didn't say anything.'

'That was pretty weird. I thought you might have fallen asleep under there!' Joked Vinny.

'Well, it didn't feel like very long while I was wearing it,' Gideon told him.

'People were getting antsy, you know, even the teachers were whispering about you,' added a brown-haired girl.

'So, why do you think we were sorted into this house?' Gideon asked, attempting to change the subject.

'Probably because we're the best!' Vinny stated plainly. 'I hear Slytherins are supposed to be the most skilled.'

'Slytherin does produce powerful witches and wizards,' said an unfamiliar, raspy voice. To the first-years' surprise, it was a translucent figure hovering above them.

'It's the Bloody Baron!' said a boy near the end of the table whose name Gideon couldn't recall from the sorting. 'You're the Slytherin ghost, aren't you?'

'That's right, my boy! A fine-looking bunch of recruits we have here. Do let me know if you need any assistance, or if the other ghosts give you any trouble!' he told them as he floated away.

Gideon saw that multiple ghosts had entered the hall and were conversing with students as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He watched as the Bloody Baron brandished an ethereal sword at another spectre across the room. His pearly-white victim lurched, and a nearly severed head fell off their high-collared neck.

'I've heard some bad things about our house, you know,' said Brendan with trepidation. 'People say that Slytherin turns out a lot of dark wizards.'

'That's old news,' Emma's older sister told them. 'Don't pay attention to that kind of talk, it's just the other houses and their jealousy! Just be glad you're not in Hufflepuff!'