Hogwarts '06/7

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Hogwarts '06/7

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the premiere boarding school in Britain for the next generation of young wizards and witches.
The year is 2006-2007, many years after the destruction of Voldemort, and Gryffindor have won the House Cup for ten consecutive years! Professor Minerva McGonagall has just retired as Headmistress, and the school waits tensely to discover just who her replacement will be! Get ready to board the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 and 3/4s, for another spectacular year at Hogwarts! All aboard!

[Scarlet Lioness]

Misty-Lee sighed as the train took off. This was the last time she would be taking the train with her peers, eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans off the Trolley. This was her last year at Hogwarts.
Trudging up the corridor, waving every so often to classmates and first year students, she finally arrived at the prefects compartment. The sun was shining, and her Head Girl badge gleamed on her Hogwarts robes.

'It's good to be back' she thought as she sank into a chair in the corner. 'Where's Head Boy?....who's head boy?...' Those two questions had been weighing on her mind ever since she had got her letter at the end of July. She looked at her watch. 5mins, he should be here...

The compartment door slid open.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Professor Dinas sighed, thinking of seemingly ancient days and glorious quidditch matches.

In reality, he was in his office next to a Charms classroom.

The Head of Slytherin and Charms teacher used to tend to play down his former glory in front of the students... Unfortunately, no students now remembered him.

Only when reminded by the sweeping movement dubbed the "Terrin" did most of them realise.

So, sadly, he got back to organising the year-long curriculum guidelines from the Ministry, throwing them out, and studying the new Headmaster's guidelines comprehensivly.

He looked at the time.

[Q.Araignee]

Making sure that the compartment was empty, Rowena slid inside: closing the door and drawing the blind down before anyone could see her. After leaving her dad on the platform, and seeing him cry, she just wanted to be alone for a bit.

She sat on the vacant seat, and looked down at herself: if only her mum could've seen her now- dressed in robes and with a wand in hand, she would've laughed like at halloween.

Smiling grimly, she looked out of the window on the dreary landscape speeding by.

[Scarlet Lioness]

Johnathon MaCmillan stepped into the compartment. Head Boy badge gleaming in the sunlight. Her best friend since 1st year was head boy. So... this was his big surprise! she thought.

He took 3 long strides to her. And gave her that cheeky smile he was always did when someone worked something out he knew.
Lee-lee stood up and gave her friend a hug, he gave her a huge bear-hug back.

"I guess...we are going to get sick of each other this year..." he joked "You know...that badge looks very sexy on you Lee-lee, how does mine look???"

"Oh...we are, are we??? And thank you...your badge looks...very manly..." she laughed...

She looked at her watch. It's time...

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Professor Dinas checked his watch - it would be only a few moments before the students started piling into the Great Hall.

Most of the teachers were already seated at the High Table.

Putting away his quill, he got up, closed the door behind him and headed to the Entrance Hall, reminding himself of the many years the Professor McGonagall had had to do this job.

Deputy Headmaster, he thought to himself.

"Yes..." he muttered to himself. "It does have a bit of a ring to it, doesn't it."

"Deputy Headmaster Dinas..."

[Scarlet Lioness]

The prefects meeting went by fast, and soon everyone was piling out of the compartment to sit with friends and catch up with classmates and Lee-lee and Johnathon were the only ones remaining in the compartment. Misty checked her watch...the should be just about there.

[Q.Araignee]

It was getting dark now- Rowena was sure that they must be arriving soon.

And then she saw it- the castle she had dreamt of for the past few weeks: Hogwarts was a truly magnificent sight to behold. The lights that flickered in the windows, the immense building and grounds. Rowena was breath-taken.

She checked and rechecked her robes, made sure that she had her wand, and made sure that Nox was in her cage.

Nox was a cat, that happened to be as large as a dog, and as black as night- hence the name. She was very intelligent, and resented her cage- but knew she must comply. She had only met the girl a week ago, a gift bought by a mysterious stranger and left on her doorstep. But that's beside the point- the fact was that Nox had been a great source of comfort on the lonely train ride.

As Rowena looked out of the window once more, the platform at Hogsmeade began to appear around a corner.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Professor Dinas watched through a window as the first years crossed the lake - three first years fell out before the groundskeeper could stop their little boat submerging.

Terrin chuckled mildly to himself. They were shivering, but quite alright otherwise.

They passed the halfway mark...

[Scarlet Lioness]

Soon Misty and Johnathon were inside the thestral drawn carriage that was being pulled up to the castle gates. 'This will be my last carriage ride to the gates' thought Misty. She sighed.

Within the next five minutes Head boy and Girl had arivved in the Entrance Hall....like the rest of the students they were chattering their way towards the Great Hall, catching up on the holiday events. Quidditch, Shopping, days when they couldn't stop laughing...

Sitting down at the Gryffindor table, Lee-lee looked up there was Dep. Head Dinas...she laughed quietly to herself...

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Professor Dinas lead the new first year students into the entrance hall - he then left and joined the main contingent of the school in the Great Hall.

All four houses seemed to be ready... and of course only two chairs at the Head Table were unoccupied; his own, and the new headmaster's.

And so he summoned the first years to form an orderly, single-file line in front of what appeared to be a raggedy little wizards hat, many years past its used-by date.

[Q.Araignee]

Being surrounded by so many strangers made Rowena nervous- she liked her privacy. But she wasn't going to let any fear show. Standing straight, she looked around the Great Hall- a few people met her gaze, but turned away from her piercing sapphire stare. A few wore badges on their chests, but she had no idea what they meant. She definately noticed a much older girl, laughing at something that Rowena couldn't tell- she was also wearing a badge, but different from the rest. Before she could read it however, she heard someone tell them to line up.

Looking in front of her, she saw a wizard approach the whole group of first years with a scroll, a stool and a hat. He placed the stool in front of them and the hat on top of that. She gulped, but quickly composed herself. She knew she would be one of the first to be sorted, but what was she supposed to do? She stood, and waited for the fateful calling of 'Araneorum, Rowena'.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Dinas watched as the Sorting Hat - one by one - sorted the students into each of the four houses.

He sometimes remembered how nervous he was in front of the hat many years before, sitting vulnerably with it drooping over his head.

And then it had shouted the word to the hall...

The single word...

"Slytherin!" the Hat had called, over 20 years ago now...

It was the best and worse day of Terrin's life..

[Q.Araignee]

It hadn't been as bad as it had seemed- she sat on the stool, and had the Sorting Hat put on her head (where it promptly fell over her whole head, to the school's amusement). It seemed to take forever to deliberate where to put her: first it suggested Ravenclaw, then Hufflepuff, then Slytherin, then Gryffindor. After many minutes of umming and ahhing, it had finally decided on...
'Gryffindor!'
Relieved, she had walked briskly to their table and settled herself as close to the girl she had seen earlier as she could. While the rest of her year were Sorted themselves, she had found out that the person was the new Head Girl- according to her very shiny badge.
As the last few children were waiting to be placed under the Hat, Rowena noticed that no-one took as long to Sort as she had; and that there were two empty chairs at the staff table: one must belong to the man with the Hat, but who sat in the other?

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Professor Dinas smiled.

The coming announcement would most likely shock a lot of people... but nevertheless, the appointment had been made, and it was too far to go back now.

The Sorting ended.