“Yeah, I see. Who is she?”
The sounds of muttering filled the hall as the students made their way into the Great Hall. The presence of a mysterious new “grown-up” student had not escaped their notice. She tried not to look bothered as more students poured into the room. Ignoring the increasingly loud comments, she noticed two furiously red haired people enter the Hall and began to look for Harry. Unsurprisingly, she found him with them; in fact, the four students she had met that morning were packed together in a group and, as far as she could tell, still oblivious to the fact that she was there.
She began to fidget nervously with her dark hair. The stares of the students were enough to drive her mad. Soon, all of the students were seated and noisily chatting to each other, but Katherine could still see them occasionally casting furtive glances toward her. Relief came over her when Professor McGonagall finally stood and the Hall fell quiet, all attention on the Headmistress.
“Welcome back, everyone. I’m sure you’re all very hungry, but first, the Sorting,” McGonagall said stoutly. As she finished, the doors to the Great Hall opened and two lines of very young students were led in by an incredibly small old wizard. As the students lined up across the front, the old wizard stepped up to a stool with a hat on it which Katherine had not yet noticed.
Suddenly the brim of the hat opened and it began to sing,
I have warned you- it is true-
of dangers in your parting.
To sort- I fear- will only bring
an end that is down hearting.
For unity brings strength, you see,
like the threads that bind me.
A unique value each house provides,
creating a fabric one can’t unwind.
For Gryffindor, the courage bears;
From Ravenclaw, a clever air;
Hufflepuff a humble spirit brings;
Of ambition Slytherin sings.
But what is one without the others,
of all the Houses that are brothers?
Pitted against what would be friends
True foes forgotten for fickle ends.
I warn you now, just as before;
Turn back, unite, for now it’s war.
The song ended, leaving Katherine utterly perplexed, but her attention was soon cast back to the small old wizard.
“When I say your name,” came the squeaky voice of the wizard, “please step forward and take a seat on this stool. Then I will put the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be sorted. Adelein, Mark.”
A cocky-looking boy lost face as he walked to the stool and sat himself down. The hat rested on his head for half a minute before it called out, “Ravenclaw.”
The old wizard made his way through the terrified students one by one. For one boy the hat took over two minutes; other students only a second. Soon, however, there was only one girl left standing alone at the front of the hall.
“Yulin, Mara.” She was made a Hufflepuff and went off to join her table. Great, now we can eat, she thought, but her dreams of dinner were interrupted by the voice of Professor McGonagall.
“Students, may I have your attention, please. This year we have a seventh year student joining us from home study. She will be Sorted now.”
“Evans, Katherine,” the wizard said, looking to Katherine. She had been expecting this; she knew that she, too, would have to be Sorted, but was hoping that they would let her be Sorted later. Not only because she was nervous, but also she was outstandingly hungry. Ignoring her fear and hunger, she stood up and made her way around the table to the stool, feeling all the eyes in the hall on her. She sat down causally, not want to make a fool of herself in front of all those people. The old wizard placed the hat on her head.
“Ahh, I never thought I’d see this day. The eldest Potter, but don’t worry, I won’t tell,” the hat said, kindly, if a hat can speak kindly. “Let’s see, where to put you? I do believe you’re even harder to place than your brother. Just like him, you have the characteristics of all the houses: loyalty, bravery, intelligence, and cunning. And there are so many other considerations; your history is quite fascinating. But, I suppose” yes, definitely Gryffindor.”
The last word was spoken loud enough for the entire room to hear. The table on the far left cheered and Katherine made her way to it. Ron motioned for her to come sit with them, as he was the one facing her. She sat down across from Harry, as Professor McGonagall stood up.
“Now, the Sorting is finished. Enjoy.”
The tables were instantly covered with food. There was roast chicken, steak, chips, mashed potatoes, anything she could have wanted. She began to dip out portions onto her plate.
“Look, there’s Hagrid,” Ginny said, motioning at the High Table. Katherine looked up and saw a huge man making his way to an empty seat with the teachers.
“You know him?” Katherine asked, shocked at this man’s enormous size.
“Yeah,” Harry said, “he’s actually a very close friend. He teaches Care of Magical Creatures. We like to visit him sometimes. You can come with us sometime if you like.”
“Sounds sparking. I’d love it,” Katherine said. The giant man had a kind face and a good smile, which she could see shining all the way from her seat.
They all dug into their food, but the bushy haired girl named Hermione didn’t seem to be as exuberant as the rest.
“So, what were you doing at headquarters?” Hermione asked, filling Katherine with realization.
“Umm, my Aunt, who taught me at home, was part of the Order, but last night we were attacked and” well she didn’t make it. Remus came and got me but he couldn’t save both of us. So, now I’m here for my final year of schooling,” she answered, more informative than expressional. Somehow she felt completely disconnected from the whole rest of her life here at Hogwarts, which she could tell was keeping her from feeling any emotion from what had happened, from loosing everything.
They all looked shocked that she was so calm. Ron gaped openly and Harry did a double take.
“And you’re okay, just like that?” Hermione continued suspiciously.
“No, how could I be? I guess it’s all still kind of bizarre to me. I mean, yesterday at this time, Auntie and I were enjoying a show on the Wizarding Wireless, but now she’s gone and I’m here at school. I’ve never actually been around witches and wizards my age, it’s all just so surreal.”
Harry seemed to understand, and nudged Hermione as she opened her mouth to dig deeper into the subject. “Do you like Quidditch?” he asked changing the subject, and bringing back Ron’s attention.
“Yes, I love it. When I get to play, I’m either Beater or Keeper. My teams are a draw between the Chudley Cannons and Puddlemere United. During their matches against each other I simply go mad.” She smiled, trying to recover herself, and the five of them enjoyed the rest of the feast getting to know each other. Ron was a Chudley Cannons fan and a Keeper; Ginny and Harry were Seekers. Both she and Hermione enjoyed Arithmancy and were interested in promoting rights for non-human intelligent beings. They all liked Defence Against the Dark Arts. Soon, however, the food disappeared from the tables and the hall grew silent.
“Well, now that we are fed, I have a few start of term announcements. First, new teachers. As I am now Headmistress, I will be stepping down from the post of Transfiguration teacher, and Hestia Jones will be taking my place.”
A short, pink-cheeked, black-haired witch stood and waved at the students. She looked very skinny, especially since she was seated next to Hagrid.
“Also, the Defence Against the Dark Arts post will be filled by Lorenzo Blue.”
This man wasn’t a normal teacher. His head was shaved, he had astonishingly blue eyes, his robes, although just black and white, were the most fashionable any of them had ever seen, and even his wave reeked of subtle superiority. There was no way around it. He was cool.
“All students, please remember that the Forbidden Forest is off limits. Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that the list of banned items in his office has been updated to include some stock from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Also, due to the imposing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, no students are allowed out of the castle after five o’clock. Any infringement of this rule will result in severe punishment. I believe it’s getting late, so off to your common rooms.”
With the end of her speech, the students rose and began to make their way to the Entrance Hall.
“You can follow us to the common room,” Harry offered. As he led the way, the five of them discussed the new rule. When they entered the Entrance Hall, she noticed a blonde boy staring at her.
“Who’s that?” she whispered to Harry, motioning toward the boy.
“That’s Draco Malfoy,” he answered scathingly. “His father is a Death Eater, awful people.”
“Oh,” was all she said as he led her up a stairway. She had known that blonde haired boy long ago, did he recognize her?
They continued up the stairs, and then up another flight. She talked to Hermione, getting more information about an elf rights organization called S.P.E.W. However, Hermione had soon finished talking and abruptly excused herself to find Ginny. Katherine continued silently, making sure not to lose sight of her guides. Suddenly she felt a tug on her robes and fell backward into Ron. They watched as another student’s foot sunk through the step she was about to step on.
“Trick step,” Ron muttered, helping her upright.
“Thanks,” Katherine said to Ron, reaching to help the other student out of the step.
“You’re the new girl, aren’t you?” the boy asked. “I’m Neville; I’m in Harry and Ron’s year. It’s nice to meet you.”
“He’s a bit forgetful,” Ron told her, as Neville continued his way up the stairs. “But overall he’s actually kind of nice. That’s Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil.” He motioned at two girls in front of them. “And this is Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan.”
“Hello,” Dean said offering a hand, as Seamus nodded.
“How come you weren’t surprised when you saw me here?” Katherine asked him.
“Mum told us you’d be coming,” Ron said, then quickly added, “but she didn’t tell why.”
He fell silent before speeding up to talk to Harry.
“So, you’ve never been around wizards our age?” Ginny asked, winking.
“No, no magical people our age at all. Only Auntie’s old friend, and merely on occasion.”
“And you’ve never had a boyfriend?”
“Nope, never met a boy my age, really.”
“Well, I’m sure that won’t last long. You’re very pretty, at least I think my brother thinks so,” Ginny said with a giggle.
“It looks as though his heart belongs to Hermione,” Katherine observed, as she saw Hermione quickly take Ron’s hand and turn back to face forward after catching Katherine’s eye. “Besides, I barely know anyone yet.”
“Well, if you’re ever feeling lonely, I’m sure I can find you someone. But never mind boyfriends, didn’t you ever have a best friend?”
“No,” Katherine shrugged, “never.”
“Well, maybe Hermione and I can introduce you to the joys of ‘Best-Friend-ship’,” Ginny said, smiling. They both looked up to see Lavender and Parvati giggling and making eyes at someone Katherine couldn’t see, and a pang of fear struck her. Obviously Ginny noticed what had caught Katherine’s eye and added, “Well, not exactly like that. But it’s important to have someone to talk to about anything, what do you say?”
Katherine thought of Lupin’s words about not shutting people out. She didn’t feel like doing anything really, but Ginny had just offered her friendship and she did not think she wanted to go through this whole experience alone. “Alright, I’m up for it.”
“Here we are,” she heard Harry say as they all stopped in front a portrait of a rather large lady.
“This is the Fat Lady,” Ron said, looking back.
“Hello, you’re new, aren’t you? We haven’t had a transfer student in a long time, Ivan Ruthercor, was the last I think, in 1853. Well, password?”
“Amortentia,” Hermione said and the portrait swung open. Harry, Ron, and Hermione led the way in; Ginny and Katherine followed. There was a large fireplace and lots of chairs and tables spread through the room.
“Blimey, it’s brilliant,” Katherine muttered.
Everyone sat in the big chairs in front of the fire. It had been a long day and Katherine was very tired. She just sat and listened as Ron and Harry talked Quidditch and Hermione and Ginny talked about classes. Soon she had drifted off to sleep, the light of the fire casting strange shadows on her eyelids, reminding her of home.
“Katherine, wake up,” Hermione said, prodding her gently. “You’re in my dormitory; I’ll show you the way.”
The common room was now almost empty. Hermione led her up a staircase. They passed two doors before Hermione stopped and said, “This one’s ours. Parvati and Lavender are in here, too.”
They walked into the dormitory. It was round with four four poster beds pushed against the wall. Hermione walked to the first on the right. Katherine walked to the next one, there was a trunk at the end of it with the inscription ‘KA’, and a paper on top.
Katherine,
I went back to Diagon Alley after I left and bought you this new trunk. I packed all of your school things plus a few extras. Have a good term!
Yours,
Remus
“What’s the ‘A’ for? I thought your last name was Evans,” Hermione asked, seeing the initials.
“It stands for Anastasia, my middle name,” Katherine answered, pulling back her covers.
“That’s a beautiful name. Well, classes start in the morning, have a good night sleep,” Hermione said before drawing her bed curtain. Katherine looked out the window by her bed. It was still raining, a little harder than before. She turned away and got into bed, pulling the curtains closed on the opposite side from the window. Laying down, she stared at the rain hitting the window. It was a calming sound and soon put her to sleep.
Katherine squinted hard as the morning sun hit her eyes. Standing up, she saw that the sun was just rising. She rummaged through her trunk, pulling out her school robes and a brush. She dressed quietly, then brushed her hair back into a ponytail, tying it with a maroon ribbon. When she was satisfied, she dove back into the trunk and pulled out her books, pens, ink, parchment, and a canvas bag. Katherine stuffed everything inside the bag and hung it from a hook on the wall. She haphazardly made her bed and left the dormitory, heading down to the common room. No one was there yet, and she wasn’t sure if they would be serving breakfast yet, but she decided to chance it.
Katherine exited the porthole, racking her brain trying to remember the way down to the Great Hall. She stood for a moment, thinking maybe she should wait for someone. Turning around, she gave the Fat Lady the password and re-entered the common room, hoping that one of her friends would wake up soon. It didn’t take long before her hopes were fulfilled as both Harry and Ron came down the other staircase.
“My, you’re up early,” Harry said, laughing.
“Yeah, I forgot to close the curtains and the sun woke me.”
“Ron and I needed to get our Time Tables, so we could find a free time to plan a Quidditch trial and make some plays. Ron’s Captain and Keeper, and I‘m helping him as I was Captain last year and Seeker still this year.”
“I need to get mine, too. I don’t even know which classes I’m taking.”
“Well, come down with us now; Ginny and Hermione can come together when they get up,” Ron suggested, leading the way out of the common room down to the Great Hall. When they got there, the hall was still mostly empty, apart from the professors, with only a few Ravenclaws gathered in a small group at the back of the hall.
“Wonder who the new Head of House is,” Harry said to Ron.
“No clue, mate.”
The three took seats towards the end of the table, near the High Table, hoping that whoever their new Head of House was would notice that they wanted their Time Tables. After seeing that no one seemed to be coming, they started gathering food onto their plates.
“Oose dat,” Ron mumbled through his food, motioning at a petite woman walking up to the High Table.
“That’s Professor Jones. Didn’t you pay attention last night?” Harry said before falling into a deep musing. “She looks so familiar. I know I‘ve met her. I just can‘t remember where.”
Returning to his food, Harry continued his list to Ron, “Well, you’re Keeper, I’m Seeker, and Ginny’s Chaser and reserve Seeker. But Katie’s gone and I’d have tryouts for the other positions, giving, of course, a marginal partiality to the players that were on the team before.”
“Margarine part what?” Ron asked stupidly.
“He means show them a little favouritism,” Katherine answered, taking another sausage.
“Excuse me,” came a Scottish voice, causing them to jump. “I’m the new Gryffindor Head of House. If you give me your names, I’ll give you your Time Tables. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to get them to you sooner.”
They all looked up to see the new teacher, Professor Blue.
“Umm, Harry Potter,” Harry offered, recovering himself.
Professor Blue glanced unconsciously at Harry’s forehead, but quickly stopped himself, looking back down to rummage through the papers in his hand.
“Ah, here it is,” he said finally, pulling out a paper and handing it to Harry. “And you?”
“Ron Weasley.”
“Yes, here you go. And you,” he said, turning to Katherine. He stared for a moment, and looked as though he were trying to remember something.
“Katherine Evans.”
“Here you are,” he finished, handing her the paper. He took one last glance at the three of them, still looking as though he had forgot something. “See you in class.”
“What was that about?” Ron said indignantly.
“No idea, maybe you remind him of someone,” Harry said, motioning at Katherine.
“Hmm, maybe,” Katherine said, picking up her Time Tables to look at them.
The morning classes on Monday were Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology, then this afternoon was a double Arithmancy lesson. She signed loudly, This is going to be a long day.