The Last Druidess

Professor McGonagall looked up at Dumbledore, the old hat still sitting on the chair. Dumbledore smiled beginning to look down at the young girl then said, "No, not at all, please, sit down and put on the hat." As Shiroi moved toward the hat, Dumbledore quickly said "oh, and would you mind asking your.erm..companion to step outside the castle? He may of course stay in the grounds, perhaps near Hagrid's hut would suit?" the Headmaster turned to look up at Hagrid, who drew himself up and moved down to show Kokoro out.

Shiroi turned to Kokoro and laid a palm on his shoulder and murmured softly "Go now, I'll come see you later, I promise." She watched silently as Hagrid led her only friend-her only family out the doors of the Great Hall. She turned and straightened herself and headed down to the stool and the sorting hat.

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"Ahh, I haven't had the likes of you to sort for centuries!" exclaimed the Sorting Hat the moment Shiroi lowered it onto her head.

"The likes of me? What do you mean?"

"A druid of course-well, a druidess-but nevertheless! Druids are taught from birth to hide all emotion, it may be beneath the skin, but feelings never intrude on life. You are taught to always be calm and still - for those who manage it by the age of 11, it quickly becomes a way of life. Am I right? It is very rare that a druid doesn't quite fit in and is sent to Hogwarts for training."

"Well, yeah, my grandmother did teach me to always be still and calm, and that apparently EVERYTHING would be better if I was, but it's not my fault that my training didn't work out. Grandma was the one who died." Shiroi exclaimed.

Doesn't seem to be holding much of a check on her emotions the Sorting Hat thought wryly, before controlling his amusement at Shroi's bitterness and questioning her, "Was it her fault then? Why do you resent her for dying so much, don't you miss her?"

"Oh, of course I did, but it still got a bit boring, always being told to 'Be empty, think of the lake, still and calm. Do not rush about so Shiroi - do the trees run?' She did her best teaching me, but the forest always held far more interest than her musty old sentiments."

"Hmm, you are an interesting one"

"How am I?"

"Beneath everything you say of your grandmother, coarse though many of your sentiments are, you care for her and miss her, and always heed her lessons? Why?"

"She.died, just before I left, I have to remember her, both the good and the bad. After all, she sent me here, and Kokoro came to help"

"A unicorn? Why this story just gets better!" The Sorting Hat was surprised to find that he hadn't already picked up on this - must be showing his age, he decided. (A unicorn? I guess kokoro is a unicorn?!!? Or where does the unicorn fit in if its not kokoro..im completely lost-beth) "Shouldn't you be telling me what house I'm going into?" Shiroi said with a little impatience at all the small talk.

"I'm deciding, but in the mean time, a conversation never hurt anyone did it?"

"I don't understand why it is that I'm so special, well I mean, I'm different to all the other students - for starters I don't need a wand to do magic." It was obvious that Shiroi was more than a little smug about this piece of information.

"You are.an enigma, my dear" (is that a question? or a statement?-beth)

"Why? If you would explain properly, you wouldn't have to hear me saying it!" Shiroi was quickly becoming infuriated by the Hat's tendencies towards cryptic statements.

"Well that's just it. Druids and druidesses are supposed to cultivate this stillness and calmness, and while you do cloak it very well, you are not in the slightest calm or still, you plan things very carefully, but never think of the consequences. You are kind at heart, and yet you spend much of your time spitting nails at everyone around you. You are a contradiction. I'm not quite sure which house you belong in."

"I don't want to be in the blue house-they all look too boring, same for the yellow one. The other two look ok though" Shiroi thought of her perceptions of the students as she had walked down the hall.

"Don't you know the names of our houses here?" the Sorting Hat asked, surprised that the girl knew so little about her school.

"I do, Kokoro taught me, but I'm not sure so I thought I should keep it to myself," this was something that embarrassed Shiroi acutely. The Hat had left her so badly off balance that her usually eidetic memory was failing to respond properly.

"Yes. Well. A house for you. You have traits that would fit into either Slytherin or Gryffindor. You seem to have a purpose that seems to color your every action. I think, though, that perhaps a tongue and an ambition like yours belongs best in Slytherin!"

As the hat shouted out its last word, Shiroi removed it from her head, slightly confused - weren't only bad people supposed to go into Slytherin?

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, she's a pretty little thing; that much has to be said for her" James Maloney commented to his best friend Dan Mortlock.

Both Slytherins were 6th years and had been close friends since 2nd year, when Dan dropped a platter of pumpkin jelly on James "accidentally-on-purpose", and James threw a pumpkin pie straight back. Its weird how friendships can start isn't it?

"Um huh." Dan was concentrating on a large piece of pumpkin pie; sinfully still remaining on his plate - he was a well-built growing boy!

"Could you possibly tear your attention away from the food on your plate for just a moment?"

Dan simply sighed and turned one baleful eye on James before speaking through a mouthful of food. "I'm growing!"

"Yeah-growing outwards at an incredible rate. If you're not careful, you'll be pushed off the quiddich team - no one wants a player too heavy to get off the ground." James said, no real sting hidden in the comment. While Dan wasn't really fat, he wasn't quite thin either.

Dan snorted rather unceremoniously into his pumpkin pie, "Come on, we both know you're going to be the Slytherin captain, and you're not going to bounce me."

"I will if you're harming the team's chances." James replied, in all seriousness. Both boys knew that Slytherin had a reputation to be upheld, and reputation came before friendships - that's just the way things go in Slytherin.

Dan scooped up the last of his pie and turned to look up and down the length of the table, eyes catching on Shiroi, "Wow, who's the new girl in white?"

"Mate, you have got to be as thick as a block of wood - I just pointed her out to you!"

"Oh. Really?" Dan asked idly, eyes still firmly stuck to the lithe girl dressed in white robes at the end of the table.

"Yes. And if you would detach your eyes for the moment, we are about to be called to our dormitories." James said, pointing at Dumbledore who was preparing to get to his feet.

Dumbledore stood up and looked briefly at each of the prefects before beginning. "I would ask that the prefects take all the new first years and show them to the dorms. Of course, all your trunks have already been moved. Our new student, Shiroi Kinkakuji will be in the 5th year dorms, as she is, at present, slightly ahead of the first years. I hope that all the 5th years, as well as the rest of the house will make her feel most welcome in her new home." Dumbledore finished his speech with a clap, causing all the now neglected plates to disappear.

~~~~~~~~~~~

A shortish, slightly plump 7th year - Tim Sorensøn - stood up at the end of the Slytherin table and called out, with arrogance hanging from every word, "First years, follow me. And quickly if you don't mind."

Shiroi, unsure of whether or not to follow the younger children, stayed seated as all the students gradually got up and left - all that is, bar two boys, who were waving around their arms and talking quietly.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"-and Gronagovich, when he caught the snitch - it was so cool, I've never seen a dive like that before!" James was in the process of telling Dan all about the Quiddich world cup final his father had taken him to in the holidays.

"OK, OK! Dude, let's leave Quiddich for the moment! I like it as much as the next wizard, but Merlin, you just take it too far!" Dan said; a chuckle jst evident in his voice.

"Alright then," replied James looking over Dan's shoulder, "How about we show the new girl to the dorms, since she's still sitting there."

"Why how.charitable of you" Dan said, with a smirk on his face. Both knew that no Slytherin did anything purely for charity.

"Get your mind out of the gutter! I'm doing so out of curiosity only." James said haughtily, glaring at his friend.

Both Slytherins, large as they were, got up and went to talk to Shiroi.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Shiroi saw the two boys walking over to her and she tensed ever so slightly, but nevertheless met their eyes squarely.

"What?" Shiroi asked, only afterwards realising she sounded rather surly, and then decided that with this pair, that was probably to her advantage.

"Just wondering if you'd like us to show you the way to the dungeons" James stuffed his hands into the pockets on his robes and looked at her with a challenge in his eyes. "Puff'n'Stuff gave us the password."

"Alright then" Shiroi said warily, getting to her feet in one fluid movement. "Where are these 'dungeons'?"

"Down, generally - most dungeons tend to be there" Dan said, sarcasm sliding from his words.

Shiroi turned an acerbic glance on the boy before replying. "Would you mind leading, I'm not very good walking down stairs; at least with you there I'll have a soft landing."

Dan winced at Shiroi's return shot. "You can see why she got Sorted into Slytherin" Dan whispered to James, ignoring Shiroi's raised eyebrow.

James shot a very quick glance at his friend, one that Dan couldn't quite interpret. "It's down this way."

The three Slytherins headed down into the dungeons, the two big 6th years bracketing the smaller form of the 5th year.

~~~~~~~~~~~