Karina's POV

Today was the day.

Today everyone was returning to Hogwarts. I was excited. Ecstatic. And obviously scared. I knew that I would receive many stares same as Harry. We were the two crazies that believed Voldemort was back with no evidence. But to me Cedric's dead body was evidence enough. I don't know how to explain me being a seer to my friends and I don't know if I should. Would it make things easier? Or ten times more complicated. No one else understands except for Harry. Honestly in a lot of ways we're one in the same... and that was starting to get on my last nerve.

There was a lot of commotion in the house. After getting dressed and packing away everything except my journal which I had put nicely in my purse, I gather my bags and push them out my door.

"Morning short stack!"

Rolling my eyes I smile lightly at the twins, "Once again boys, I'm not short. You guys are just giants."

Fred bursts out laughing as he tosses his arm over my shoulder, "Sure Karina, sure."

"Anyways you guys taking my bags like the nice sweet gentlemen that I know you thrive to be." I smile sweetly hoping they take the bait.

George rolls his eyes scoffing, "You can't trick the masters sweetheart... but we'll be nice since we like you."

"Yippie for me."

Fred and George grab my bags then try to lift them. I giggle as they huff and puff not even yet picking up the bags two feet off the ground.

"What do you have in here? Bricks?"

"Of course. What worse would I bring clothes? Books?"

George ignores me and sighs, "This won't do Fred. We've got our stuff as well. Why don't we just..."

Fred smirks, "Good idea."

Frowning confused I look between the two as they grin evilly, "Um I'm lost. What are you two doing?"

The  two pull out their wands and say an enchantment then wave their wands towards my bags and theirs. Grinning they watch as their bewitched trunks fly downstairs.

"Hmm impressive."

I smile as they nod slowly. After a second we hear a loud shriek and a clutter. We look at each other with wide eyes then glance over rail to see that the bags had hurtled straight into Ginny and knocked her down two flights of stairs into the hall.

Without a minute passing, Mrs. Black and Mrs. Weasley were both screaming at the top of their voices.

"— COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS —"

"— FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, Of course not you Karina dear, BUT YOUUUUU BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS —"

"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed.

Chuckling I skip past the two twins who knew they were in a lot of trouble. Standing by Mrs. Black's portrait was howling with rage, I watch as Hermione drags her trunks down the stairs with Ron on her heels and Harry carrying Hedwig in his cage.

Thank goodness Snape had already taken my owl and Marvel. That would've been hard to carry bags upon bags upon cages everywhere.

"Harry and Karina, you're to come with me and Tonks," shouted Mrs. Weasley over the repeated screeches of "MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT !"

"Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage... Oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"

I laugh as a bearlike black dog had appeared at Harry's side.

"Oh honestly..." said Mrs. Weasley despairingly, "well, on your own head be it!"

She wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight. Harry and the dog followed her as I slowly follow behind pulling out my journal. The door slammed behind us and Mrs. Black's screeches were cut off instantly.

"Where's Tonks?" Harry said, looking around as they went down the stone steps of number twelve, which vanished the moment they reached the pavement.

"She's waiting for us just up here," said Mrs. Weasley stiffly, averting her eyes from the lolloping black dog beside Harry.

An old woman greeted them on the corner. She had tightly curled gray hair and wore a purple hat shaped like a porkpie.

"Wotcher, Harry," she said, winking. "Better hurry up, hadn't we, Molly?" she added, checking her watch.

"I know, I know," moaned Mrs. Weasley, lengthening her stride, "but Mad-Eye wanted to wait for Sturgis-"

I block out all noise and watch as Draco's handwriting appears on the new fresh page.

Morning Karina.

Morning Dray.

Ready to go back?

Of course not. But will I ever be truly ready?

It'll all be okay. If you need anything of course you can let me know.

Thanks. I'll see you at the prefect meeting.

Okay. Stay safe. See you then.

Closing my journal I left out a sigh and put it back in my bag. Tonks gives me a look asking if I was okay, I just nod and look away. It took us twenty minutes to reach King's Cross by foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of cats for our entertainment. Once inside the station, we lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of us leaned against it in turn and fell easily through onto platform nine and three quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a plat- form packed with departing students and their families.

"I hope the others make it in time," said Mrs. Weasley anxiously, staring behind her at the wrought-iron arch spanning the platform, through which new arrivals would come.

"Nice dog, Harry!" called a tall boy with dreadlocks.

"Thanks, Lee," said Harry, grinning, as Sirius wagged his tail frantically.

Lee glances over at Karina and frowns confused, "Karina..."

"Lee..." I say looking away knowing he wanted to know why me, a Slytherin, was with Harry Potter. But I'm not for paparazzi today.

"Oh good," said Mrs. Weasley, sounding relieved, "here's Alastor with the luggage, look..."

A porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes, Moody came limping through the archway pushing a cart full of their trunks.

"All okay," he muttered to Mrs. Weasley and Tonks. "Don't think we were followed..."

Seconds later, Mr. Weasley emerged onto the platform with Ron and Hermione. They had almost unloaded Moody's luggage cart when Fred, George, and Ginny turned up with Lupin.

"No trouble?" growled Moody.

"Nothing," said Lupin.

"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," said Moody. "That's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."

"Well, look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round. He reached me last and gives me a clap on the shoulder. "You too, Karina. Be careful."

"Thanks I will."

Lupin nods slowly.

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, shaking Harry's hand too. "And don't forget, all of you- careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."

"It's been great meeting all of you," said Tonks, hugging us all. "We'll see you soon, I expect."

A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying onto the train.

"Quick, quick," said Mrs. Weasley distractedly, hugging them at random and catching Harry twice.

I chuckle pulling away from Molly, "You guys sure do hug a lot."

"Write... Be good... If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on... Onto the train, now, hurry..."

Harry called out of the open window as the train began to move, while Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waved beside him. The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shrank rapidly but the black dog was bounding alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, and then they turned the corner, and Sirius was gone.

"He shouldn't have come with us," said Hermione in a worried voice.

"Oh lighten up, Granger."

Hermione rolls her eyes sticking her tongue out at me.

Ron nods agreeing, "Yeah Hermione... he hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke."

"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later," and he and George disappeared down the corridor to the right after giving me a big group hug.

The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past and they swayed where they stood.

"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks as I roll my eyes.

"Er," said Ron.

"Oh just rip off the bandaid! We can't."

Hermione slaps my arm, "We're- well- Ron, Karina, and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.

Ron wasn't looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.

"Oh," said Harry. "Right. Fine."

"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," said Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."

"Fine," said Harry again. "Well, I-I might see you later, then."

"Yeah, definitely," said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry.

"Not I..." All three heads snap over to stare at me in awe, "What?"

Harry stammers, "Yo-you're not c-coming back?"

I shrug, "I don't think I should to be honest. I think i should try to stick with my friends and my house for a little bit. But if you guys need anything then you know where to find me."

Quickly turning away I walk through the train not waiting for their reply. Sighing I run my hands down my face, closing my eyes. Catching my breath I open my eyes back just in time to see a chest. Letting out a groan I fall to the ground.

"Ouch."

"Shoot I'm so sorry. I didn't even see you. Here let me help you."

Feeling a tight grip on my arm, I let the person help me stand. Steadying myself I shake my head to clear my vision. My mouth drops slowly as I stare at a new boy I had never seen before. He had brunette hair and brown eyes. He was tall and lean. Almost as tall as Draco but not as muscular as Draco was becoming.

"Hi..."

He grins, "Hi. Sorry allow me to introduce myself. I'm Aubrey Oliver."

"Karina... Karina Grey. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. If all the girls here are as beautiful as you then I think I'm going to love it here."

Giggling I feel my cheeks heat up slightly, "Oh please."

"I'm serious."

"Thank you Aubrey."

"Of course. Listen I know this is fast but I'm new and would love for someone to show me ar-"

A throat clears making Aubrey halt. I watch his eyes squint staring at the person behind me with interest and almost anger.

Turning around slowly my gaze lands on Draco Malfoy. My breath catches in my throat as my heart speeds up. I watch Draco look me up and down before seeing his lip tug up on the side slightly.

"Karina..."

I almost melt just hearing my name fall off his lips. His voice had deepened over the summer and his looks of course had made me look a little more mature and very much more attractive.

"Dray... I mean Draco... Draco! Oh um hi."

Draco chuckles before looking over my shoulder at what I assumed to be Aubrey still standing there probably looking very confused.

Turning to Aubrey I smile and wave my hand to Draco, "Aubrey this is Draco Malfoy. Draco this is Aubrey Oliver."

Both nod at each other but don't utter a word. Draco clears his throat once again then looks at me with an intense stare.

"We have a prefect meeting to attend, Audrey."

Snapping my head to Aubrey I see him smirk. Uh oh.

"Well then I hope to see you again Karina." He picks up my hand and kisses my knuckles before walking past Draco.

Draco clenches his fist as his jaw line twitches. He chuckles deeply shaking his head, taking a step towards me. I lean back again the corridor wall and stare up at him as he stands close. His chest against mine, his nose lightly grazing mine, his warm minty breath tickling my lips as our lips are centimeters from one another's.

"Missed you Karina... you look good." He backs away slowly then raises his hand up to my hair and curls a strand of my hair around his finger then runs his thumb lightly across my jaw, "Like the hair."

Without another word he moves away and starts to walk down the hall. My mouth drops in awe as I watch him disappear down the hall. Lightly grazing my fingers against my lips I smile.

Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.

...

After the meeting, I find the compartment where my friends are and am finally able to reunite with them.

"I missed you so much!"

"I missed you guys too."

Pansy frowns, "I'm sorry you couldn't come with us to the cabin. It wasn't that fun without you to be honest."

I smile, "You don't have to lie Pan."

"Okay it was pretty great. But seriously it would've been more fun with you there."

Daphne nods, "Yeah seriously Karina. Sadly since it was my parents cabin that meant Astoria had to come along."

Pansy fake throws up making me burst out laughing, "It was horrid. She honestly doesn't realize that she has no chance with Draco. Speaking of him how are you two?"

I shrug grinning, "We're us."

Daphne rolls her eyes slapping my knee, "Oh come on give us more than that."

"There isn't more. Honestly. He said we would probably have to try to keep distance this year to keep me safe. But just a while ago he got jealous. Not that I'm complaining."

Pansy chuckles, "Of course he got jealous. That boy loves you. He's just stubborn and I mean honestly you're safer with him but that's just my opinion."

"Wait..." Daphne raises her finger in the air, "Who'd he get jealous of?"

Before I can speak a knock on the compartment door causes us to turn and look confused.

"Who is it?" Pansy asks with a questioning stare.

The door opens to reveal Aubrey. He looks confused before catching my gaze and staring at me surprised.

"Karina."

"Aubrey."

"I'm sorry I was looking for an empty compartment. Most of them are full."

Daphne and Pansy both give each other a stare that I can't understand then smile nicely, "Come on in."

Snapping my head to them I look at them with wide eyes before mouthing, 'What are you doing?' Both girls ignore me and watch as Aubrey sits across from me beside Daphne as Pansy sits on my left.

"Hi I'm Pansy and this is Daphne. Our friends will be here in a second but I'm sure there's enough room."

Mouth wide open I shake my head slowly nudging her. She grins and slaps my leg. As the girls ask Aubrey thousands of questions, minutes pass and then the door slides open to reveal Blaise, Gregory, Vincent, and lastly Draco.

I stand up and give hugs to the guys then Blaise sits beside Pansy. Gregory then sits beside Daphne with Vincent on his right. Draco freezes seeing Aubrey once again and then smirks. I feel butterflies in my stomach as Draco sits next with me and immediately throws his arm over my shoulder pulling me into his side.

Staring at him in shock I then look at Pansy who grins raising her eyebrows. 'You're evil.' I mouth to her.

Time goes by as everyone talks about their summer. No one else but me notices the hard glares that Draco and Aubrey give one another. But hey I can't complain.

The weather remained undecided as we traveled farther and farther north. Rain spattered the windows in a halfhearted way, then the sun put in a feeble appearance before clouds drifted over it once more. When darkness fell and lamps came on inside the carriages, everyone slowly starts putting their books and stuff away.

"We'd better change," Daphne sighs as she stands and stretches.

"See you later." I say as Daphne disappears with Pansy on her heels. The guys hurry out the compartment leaving me with Draco and Aubrey.

Standing up I fix my badge on my shirt.

====================================

3rd Person's POV

Draco glares as the new boy watches Karina mess with her shirt. Glancing up he sees that her buttoned shirt had a good bit unbuttoned at the top revealing a good look of cleavage.

Clearing his throat he stands up blocking Aubrey's sight. Karina looks up from her shirt with a confused stare.

"What?"

Draco puts his hands in his pockets as he looks down at her cleavage then looks away towards the window.

"You should probably button a couple more..." he whispers.

Karina frowns for a moment confused then looks down at her shirt and ahhing.

"Ohhh yes thank you."

"Well I've got to find a Professor McGonagall, I'll see you later Karina."

Karina smiles nodding as Aubrey stands up and gathers his things. As the door closes Karina instantly starts to feel hot. She hadn't even recovered from the hallway and now here she was again alone with Draco, trying to fix the buttons on her shirt.

Draco leans against the compartment door just watching Karina as she gathers her things. She walks over to the door and stands in front of him waiting for him to move.

"Dray..."

"Karina..."

"Are you jealous Draco? Either that or you've found yourself a new nemisis."

He stares at Karina bemused before lightly grilling her waist and pulling her forward. Karina gasps in shock at the new confidence in the boy.

"I'm not jealous. I know what and who you want."

Karina scoffs lightly leaning towards him, "Oh? Do you really?... I thought we were meant to keep our distance?"

Draco chuckles shaking his head tapping his fingers along her side, "New plan."

Karina grins shaking her head, "You're something else Dray. I'd love to continue whatever the hell this is," she points at the nonexistent space between the two of them, "But we've got a duty to get to."

Draco nods standing up straight. He opens the door and holds his arm out, "Ladies first."

At last the train began to slow down and they heard the usual racket up and down it as everybody scrambled to get their luggage and pets assembled, ready for departure. Karina and Draco, Ron and Hermione, as well as the other prefects were supposed to supervise all this.

Harry and Luna scuffle out of the compartment feeling the first sting of the night air on their faces as they joined the crowd in the corridor. Slowly they moved toward the doors. Harry could smell the pine trees that lined the path down to the lake. He stepped down onto the platform and looked around, listening for the familiar call of "Firs' years over here... firs' years..."

But it did not come. Instead a quite different voice, a brisk female one, was calling, "First years line up over here, please! All first years to me!"

A lantern came swinging toward Harry and by its light he saw the prominent chin and severe haircut of Professor Grubbly-Plank, the witch who had taken over Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lessons for a while the previous year.

"Where's Hagrid?" he said out loud.

"I don't know," said Ginny, "but we'd better get out of the way, we're blocking the door."

"Oh yeah..."

Harry and Ginny became separated as they moved off along the platform and out through the station. Jostled by the crowd, Harry squinted through the darkness for a glimpse of Hagrid; he had to be here, Harry had been relying on it — seeing Hagrid again had been one of the things to which he had been looking forward most. But there was no sign of him at all.

He can't have left, Harry told himself as he shuffled slowly through a narrow doorway onto the road outside with the rest of the crowd. He's just got a cold or something.

He looked around for Ron or Hermione, wanting to know what they thought about the reappearance of Professor Grubbly-Plank, but neither of them was anywhere near him, so he allowed himself to be shunted forward onto the dark rain-washed road outside Hogsmeade station.

Here stood the hundred or so horseless stagecoaches that always took the students above first year up to the castle. Harry glanced quickly at them, turned away to keep a lookout for Ron and Hermione, then did a double take.

The coaches were no longer horseless. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts; if he had had to give them a name, he supposed he would have called them horses, though there was some- thing reptilian about them, too. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visi- ble. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring.

Wings sprouted from each wither — vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Standing still and quiet in the gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister. Harry could not understand why the coaches were being pulled by these horrible horses when they were quite capable of moving along by themselves.

"Where's Pig?" said Ron's voice, right behind Harry.

"That Luna girl was carrying him," said Harry, turning quickly, ea- ger to consult Ron about Hagrid. "Where d'you reckon —"

"— Hagrid is? I dunno," said Ron, sounding worried. "He'd better be okay..."

A short distance away, Draco Malfoy, followed by a small gang of cronies including Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson, was pushing some timid-looking second years out of the way so that they could get a coach to themselves. Karina slowly walks behind them with Daphne shaking her head. She apologizes to the second years before standing waiting to get in the coach.

Frowning Karina stares at the front of the coach in horror.

"Karina?" Daphne taps Karina's shoulder, "Karina? You okay?"

Draco heading Daphne turns around to find Karina string ahead with a blank stare. He walks up to her and grabs her hand.

"Hey... Karina. You alright?"

Karina gulps lightly shaking her head, "Do you see those too?"

Draco looks towards the front of the coach and frowns. He had seen what he always saw. Nothing. But he knew that whatever it was Karina saw scared her.

"No I don't. But it's alright. Come on let's get in it's cold out here."

Karina nods slowly as she looks away from the skeleton horses. She glances back to see Harry looking at her with an odd stare. Before she can mouth anything to him, she is picked up and placed into the coach.

Murmuring a thanks, Karina sits by the window. Draco allows Pansy and Daphne to sit next to Karina knowing she would probably need them at the moment.

Meanwhile Harry had recovered from looking at the creatures. He knew Karina saw them too from the scared look on her face. But how did they see them yet no one else had the same reaction as them. Seconds later Hermione emerged panting from the crowd snapping Harry out of his head.

"Malfoy was being absolutely foul to a first year back there, I swear I'm going to report him, he's only had his badge three minutes and he's using it to bully people worse than ever... Where's Crookshanks?"

"Ginny's got him," said Harry. "There she is..."

Ginny had just emerged from the crowd, clutching a squirming Crookshanks.

"Thanks," said Hermione, relieving Ginny of the cat. "Come on, let's get a carriage together before they all fill up.."

"I haven't got Pig yet!" Ron said, but Hermione was already heading off toward the nearest unoccupied coach. Harry remained behind with Ron.

"What are those things, d'you reckon?" he asked Ron, nodding at the horrible horses as the other students surged past them.

"What things?"

"Those horse-"

Luna appeared holding Pigwidgeon's cage in her arms; the tiny owl was twittering excitedly as usual.
"Here you are," she said. "He's a sweet little owl, isn't he?"

"Er... yeah... He's all right," said Ron gruffly. "Well, come on then, let's get in... what were you saying, Harry?"

"I was saying, what are those horse things?" Harry said, as he, Ron, and Luna made for the carriage in which Hermione and Ginny were already sitting.

"What horse things?"

"The horse things pulling the carriages!" said Harry impatiently; they were, after all, about three feet from the nearest one; it was watching them with empty white eyes.

Ron, however, gave Harry a perplexed look, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about- look!"

Harry grabbed Ron's arm and wheeled him about so that he was face-to-face with the winged horse. Ron stared straight at it for a second, then looked back at Harry.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"At the- there, between the shafts! Harnessed to the coach! It's right there in front-"

But as Ron continued to look bemused, a strange thought occurred to Harry.

"Can't... can't you see them?"

"See what?"

"Can't you see what's pulling the carriages?"

Ron looked seriously alarmed now, "Are you feeling all right, Harry?"

"I... yeah..."

Harry felt utterly bewildered. The horse was there in front of him, gleaming solidly in the dim light issuing from the station windows behind them, vapor rising from its nostrils in the chilly night air. Yet unless Ron was faking and it was a very feeble joke if he was— Ron could not see it at all.

"Shall we get in, then?" said Ron uncertainly, looking at Harry as though worried about him.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah, go on..."

"It's all right," said a dreamy voice from beside Harry as Ron vanished into the coach's dark interior. "You're not going mad or anything. I can see them too."

"Can you?" said Harry desperately, turning to Luna. He could see the bat-winged horses reflected in her wide, silvery eyes.

"Oh yes," said Luna, "I've been able to see them ever since my first day here. They've always pulled the carriages. Don't worry. You're just as sane as I am."

Smiling faintly, she climbed into the musty interior of the carriage after Ron. Not altogether reassured, Harry followed her.

...

Rattling and swaying, the carriages moved in convoy up the road. When they passed between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars on either side of the gates to the school grounds, the grounds were in complete darkness. Hogwarts Castle, however, loomed ever closer: a towering mass of turrets, jet-black against the dark sky, here and there a window blazing fiery bright above them.

The carriages jingled to a halt near the stone steps leading up to the oak front doors and Karina got out of the carriage first. Letting out a breath she shakes slightly trying to relax. She wasn't even inside the building yet and she felt unnerved about the year.

Holding onto Daphne and Pansy's hand, all three girls walk up the stairs and inside the building. The entrance hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the double doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast.

The four long House tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the starless black ceiling, which was just like the sky they could glimpse through the high windows. Candles floated in midair all along the tables, illuminating the silvery ghosts who were dotted about the Hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly to one another, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other Houses, eyeing one another's new haircuts and robes.

Karina noticed people putting their heads together to whisper as she passed. She gritted her teeth and tried to act as though she didn't have a care in the world. She knew a lot of people would see her as crazy but honestly she lost her family. They could stare at her all day for all it mattered but if anyone had anything to say they could say it to her face.

Sitting down at the table Karina had noticed that Draco sat on the other side of the table. He was probably giving her space that they had talked about over the summer. But honestly she didn't want space.

As her friends talk her attention had just been caught by Professor Grubbly-Plank who had just appeared behind the staff table; she worked her way along to the very end and took the seat that ought to have been Hagrid's. That meant that the first years must have crossed the lake and reached the castle, and sure enough, a few seconds later, the doors from the entrance hall opened. A long line of scared-looking first years entered, led by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizard's hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim.

The buzz of talk in the Great Hall faded away. The first years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students, and Professor McGonagall placed the stool carefully in front of them, then stood back.

The first years' faces glowed palely in the candlelight. The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song:

In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school And pass along their learning. "Together we will build and teach!" The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere As Slytherin and Gryffndor?
Unless it was the second pair Of Huffepuff and Ravenclaw?

So how could it have gone so wrong? How could such friendships fail? Why, I was there and so can tell The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those Whose ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those With brave deeds to their name,"
Said Hufflepujf, "I'll teach the lot, And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had A House in which they might Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him, And only those of sharpest mind Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepujf she took the rest, And taught them all she knew, Thus the Houses and their founders Retained friendships firm and true. So Hogwarts worked in harmony For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us Feeding on our faults and fears.

The Houses that, like pillars four, Had once held up our school, Now turned upon each other and, Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend And at last there came a morning When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the Houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs, The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes

And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within.
I have told you, I have warned you...
Let the Sorting now begin.

The hat became motionless once more; applause broke out, though it was punctured, for the first time with muttering and whispers. All across the Great Hall students were exchanging remarks with their neighbors.

"Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?" said Blaise, his eyebrows raised.

"Too right it has," Draco replies.

Karina sat thinking to herself. The Sorting Hat usually confined itself to describing the different qualities looked for by each of the four Hogwarts Houses and its own role in sorting them; Karina could not remember it ever trying to give the school advice before.

"I wonder if it's ever given warnings before?" said Daphne, sounding slightly anxious.

Slowly the long line of first years thinned; in the pauses between the names and the Sorting Hat's decisions, Karina laughed as she could hear Vincent's stomach rumbling loudly.

Vincent shrugs, "What? I'm starving."

Karina shaking her head once again tuning out the sorting. That was until she saw a familiar face stand on the stage.

"Finally our transfer, Oliver, Aubrey."

Karina sits up slightly watching as Professor McGonagall picks up the hat placing it on Aubrey's head. And just almost exactly as the hat had acted for Draco his first year, the hat gags and quickly spits out, "Slytherin!"

The Slytherin table bursts into cheers and applaud. Pansy and Daphne give each other stare mouthing, 'Uh oh' as Aubrey walks over to them.

"This seat taken?"

Karina stares with wide eyes then glances at Draco who stares blankly at Aubrey. She shrugs with a timid smile.

"No I guess not. It's all yours."

"Thanks."

"Welcome to the best house in Hogwarts." Blaise grins as he reaches over Karina to shake Aubrey's hand.

"I've heard nothing but the best. Honored to be sorted here."

Karina sighs as she looks away and watches Professor McGonagall pick up the stool and march them away as Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, "welcome! To our old hands — welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

There was an appreciative laugh and an outbreak of applause as Dumbledore sat down neatly and threw his long beard over his shoulder so as to keep it out of the way of his plate — for food had appeared out of nowhere, so that the five long tables were groaning under joints and pies and dishes of vegetables, bread, sauces, and flagons of pumpkin juice.

"Excellent," said Gregory, with a kind of groan of longing, and he seized the nearest plate of chops and began piling them onto his plate.

𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓!! 𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕! 𝑺𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕! 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝑰 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒘𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 😂 𝑨𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝑰'𝒎 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓!! 𝑼𝒑𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘!!

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒈𝒖𝒚 𝑨𝒖𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒚?

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒐?

𝑭𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒖𝒐, 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒐?

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈?