Harry Potter and the Dream of Fate

Chapter Five

*Inspections, Sortings, and New Students*

"What inspection?" Harry blurted out, already fed up with Fudge.

"All persons must be inspected for unneeded items before coming on the Hogwarts Express," he said strictly, as if he were a robot.

"Since when?" Harry asked him, not caring whether he was crossing the line.

"Since now, Mr. Potter, and I would appreciate some respect, since I am the Minister of Magic and all."

Mr. Weasley saw what was going on and came over to investigate. "What's the problem here, Cornelius?" he said a bit too swiftly.

"Inspection Arthur," He began, "We are going to inspect the trunks and bags of every student to go on the train. Now, please let me begin. We are wasting time with all this chattering."

"Every student?" Mr. Weasley said, ignoring the glaring look Fudge was giving him. "How can you inspect every student? Do you realize how long that would take?"

"Yes!" Fudge declared impatiently. "That is why we can't afford to waste time, give me your bags!" He reached out and snatched one of Hermione's suitcases right out of her hand and practically ripped it open.

"Hey!" Ron shouted at him.

Mr. Weasley was fuming. He stole the suitcase right out of Fudge's hands and shut it and thrust it back at Hermione.

"No one ever said anything about a stupid inspection Cornelius," he said, his ears a bright red. "No one else from the ministry is even here. Stop being stupid and go back and do something productive. You know Dumbledore would spot something suspicious once the child entered school," he hissed at Fudge. "Now pass through the barrier." He signaled Harry, Ron and Hermione, and said to them, "No one else will bother you."

Fudge looked like he was about to say something but quickly changed his mind, tipped his hat towards Mr. Weasley, and left. "Weird," was the last word muttered by Ron before they passed through the barrier to get to Platform 9 3/4.

* * * * * * * * * *

The trip to Hogwarts was a usual one, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in their usual compartment, ate the usual things and started their usual conversation. Ron and Harry talked about Quidditch, and Hermione read "Hogwarts, a History."

"How many times are you going to read that!" Ron exclaimed when he saw what she was reading. "You've already got it memorized!"

"You wouldn't understand, Ron," she said impatiently and turned right to her book.

"What a waste of time," he said to Harry, "Reading something over and over and over."

"Well we talk about Quidditch over and over," Harry said brightly.

"Yeah, but Quidditch is actually interesting," he said and they both began laughing.

A few pumpkin pasties and a lot of chocolate frogs later, they all changed into their school robes and the train stopped at Hogwarts. When they got off they saw Hagrid lead the first years off to the boats and the carriages approached them. Inside the carriage Harry remembered something he forgot to tell Ron and Hermione.

"Hey you guys," he whispered. They both leaned in to listen. "Did you know we're getting a new student?"

Ron looked at Harry a bit strangely and said, "Yeah Harry, we get some every year, they're called first years."

"No," Harry said, "In our year, a new fifth year."

"Really?" Hermione questioned. "Do you know what house their in?"

"No." Harry replied. "It's a girl, her name is Persephone."

"Oh, how did you find out?" Ron asked.

"Hagrid told me in Diagon Alley, I just remembered now."

"Oh," Ron and Hermione said in unison. Then they sat silently until the end of the ride.

* * * * * * * * * *

Persephone stared at Fang long at hard. "Wow, you really are dull for a dog," she said to him. He blinked. "Ok, I win," she sighed, "You would think after 20 contests I would win." She stretched and walked towards the window. She peered outside and saw rows of people filing into Hogwarts. "What the heck..." she muttered and decided to see it for herself. She grabbed her Discman, patted Fang on the head, and ran out the door.

She ducked behind a tree as she approached the staircase and looked around. She saw hundreds of students filing into the school and wait a second...Hagrid."Oh, I'll show him, leave me home alone," she said and decided not to waste time staring at kids but have some fun. She walked towards the lake and saw the giant monster thing splash the surface of the water. She took out her Discman and put the headphones on. "Oh, my!" she said pretending to be in shock; "it's after dark! I should be inside! Oh, well, I seemed to have lost my way, what a pity." She turned her cd on to max volume and started singing "Ironic" by Alanis Morisette, not caring who heard her.

* * * * * * * * * *

As they entered the Great Hall, Harry saw all the first years look around in amazement to the castle. Harry felt at home as he took a seat at the Gryffindor table between Ron and Hermione. In no time at all, Professor McGonagall walked in and began the Sorting.

She lifted the old tattered hat from the stool and started to explain. "All you first years will be sorted into a house by the means of this hat," she began, "I will read your name off of this list," she said holding up a giant scroll, "and when your name is called you will walk up here, sit down and put the hat on. When it calls out a house, you are to go to the appropriate table. Now pay attention for I am only going to say this once. Gryffindor is in red," She said pointing the Gryffindor Table. "Slytherin in Green, Hufflepuff in yellow and Ravenclaw in royal blue." As she finished, Harry thought he saw all the first years exhale in relief that this was going to be easier than they thought. Harry laughed to himself remembering that on their first year Ron thought he was going to have to wrestle a troll.

"Anne, Sarah!" Professor McGonagall said and a small girl with ash brown hair and hazel eyes emerged from the group of to-be students. She looked like she was going to be sick. She said on the stool and the Professor plopped the hat down on her head.

After a few seconds it screamed out "GRYFFINDOR!" The whole table exploded in applause as the now crimson-faced girl rushed to find an empty spot on the table.

After a few more names Professor McGonagall read off the name, "Blair, Persephone." Surprisingly enough, no one emerged from the smaller group of students, and the hall fell silent. The Professor repeated herself. "Blair, Persephone." Still no one. "If there is a Persephone Blair in this hall she had better come up and get sorted before getting in a lot more trouble," she said looking annoyed. Just then Harry remembered, the new students name is Persephone, could this be her? He looked over at Ron and Hermione who also looked like they had just found out who it could be, and they just shook their heads in disappointment. The new student didn't look very smart missing her own sorting.

13 new Gryffindors were added to the lot, Michelle Dovale, Eric Collins, Greg Mello, Jane Stone, Sakura Avalon, Madison Taylor, Lee Johnson III, Percius Nektonic, Tina Creevey, Nicholas Badminton, Stephanie Rocha, Jared Lally, and Richard Tagfan. After the Sorting, Dumbledore stood up for his annual speech.

"What joy it brings a headmaster to see all his students before him," he said beaming at everyone. "I hope this year will be your finest. I would like to announce that our dear friends from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons shall be returning to Hogwarts for a while later on in the year." At this announcement a small whisper broke out among all the students. Harry gulped. He wasn't thinking about bringing back the Triwizard Tournament was he? Dumbledore held up his hand to indicate silence. "We are going to be holding a challenge of talents this year. Christmas day we will be presented with 1 competitor from each house, and they will all compete to find out who shall be running against our fine Academy friends. It should all be great fun. Each prefect from each house will be better explaining this arrangement, as for a.." But Dumbledore couldn't finish his speech because of a great interruption.

* * * * * * * * * *

Fang woke up and realized that the girl he was supposed to be watching was gone. He got up lazily and walked toward the lake. That's where she usually was. He was right. He saw her tapping her foot angrily against the ground and throwing rocks roughly into the water and listening to the muggle device that emits strange noise. He scared her first.

"Ah!" She screamed when she felt something wet touch her wrist. "Oh, It's you." She said looking at Fang. She wasn't scared, she was just jumpy. "What am I going to do?" she said staring at him, "I'm pretty sure school has already started and I'm not in it. As usual," she said this and thrust another rock into the lake. "You now what?" she continued, "I don't care. I'm not going to feel sorry for myself. I'm a witch; I can do anything I want. Which means if I want to sit out here and mope, I can, and if I want to sing and dance like an idiot, I can." She turned her volume back up and jumped onto a large rock on the shore of the lake. The music started and she began singing as loud as she possibly could. "I CAN'T GET YOU OUTTA MY HEAD, BOY YOUR LOVIN' IS ALL I THINK ABOUT, I JUST CAN'T GET YOU OUTTA MY HEAD, BOY ITS MORE THAN I THINK YOU THINK ABOUT...NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA..." Fang covered his ears with his paws.

"I WANT EVERYONE TO HEAR ME NOW FANG!!! EVERYONE IN THAT STUPID SCHOOL!" her voice was getting hoarse from all that screaming but she didn't care, she kept on singing.

* * * * * * * * * *

Dumbledore stopped mid-sentence because all of a sudden the Hall was filled with strange music. It was extremely loud and it sounded like someone screaming. Everyone got wide-eyed and looked around trying to find where it was coming from but they couldn't. Once they got used to the music, they decided to find out what it said. The only thing they could make out was: "THERE'S A DARK SECRET IN ME, DON'T LEAVE ME LOCKED IN YOUR ARMS...SET ME FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!! FEEL THE NEEEEEEEEEEED IN MEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"

The music continued and everyone was lost for words. Then a large bark filled the hall and the music stopped instantly. The hall remained silent, everyone wondering what that was. Some people were scared thinking it was an omen of bad things to come. No one ever thought it was the missing student singing on a rock on the side of the lake.

Snape left the Hall briskly, most likely to find out who was doing this and Dumbledore just smiled. "Ah, the beauty of music, the most untamed magic there is," he said and sat back down as the food appeared on the golden plates. But everyone was so busy talking only a few noticed it.

Professor McGonagall walked towards the Gryffindor table at the end of the feast. She approached Harry, Ron and Hermione and spoke so low that only they could hear her. "Professor Dumbledore would like to see you three," They all looked at each other. "Now." she said shortly and walked off. They got up slowly, each wondering what they had done wrong. They went through the doors of the Hall and came face to face with Dumbledore. Hermione looked like she was about to be sick.

Dumbledore smiled at them and no one said a word. Once they turned their backs to the hall, however, Harry heard the main doors burst open as if someone was about to report another troll in the school. He couldn't stick around to find out what it was, though, because Dumbledore had put his hand on Harry's shoulder and was firmly leading them to his office.

Once they got there Dumbledore turned to Hermione and Ron. "When you see someone, or some people, come through that door knock on this door and then you both can head back to the common room. The password is chordate." Hermione nodded and Harry could see her let out a sigh of relief.

Ron quietly said "Ok," as nonchalantly as he could, but you could still hear the quiver in his voice.

"Harry," Dumbledore continued, "you can follow me."

Harry was very confused and a bit frightened, that he just sat in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk and stared into space. He even forgot to notice what new spectacles were in Dumbledore's office. Waking out of his trance he looked at Dumbledore who was silently beaming at him. Not knowing what to say, Harry spoke the first thing that came to his mind. "What's going on?"

Dumbledore rested his elbows on his desk and stared. Harry got the feeling that he could see right through him. "I need you to do a very special errand for me, Harry," he said firmly.

"Oh, what is it?" Harry said, hoping it wasn't going to be another wild escapade with a fierce dragon.

"Well," Dumbledore continued, "we're waiting for it." He glanced down to his watch. "Should be coming any second now."

Sure enough, three rapid knocks were heard and about a second later Snape came busting through the office along with something that couldn't stop moving and screaming. After a few seconds, Harry realized it was a girl.

"Let me go! Let me go!" she shouted, throwing wild punches in Snape's direction.

"I found this," He said completely ignoring Harry, trying to keep a hold on the girls ear, "Lurking around school grounds, the culprit of the sudden noise in the great hall I suspect!"

"I was not lurking!" she said, bringing her fit of punches to an end, "I was looking around. What's so illegal about that!" As she finished her plead Harry noticed she had an American accent.

Ignoring her defense, Snape concentrated on Dumbledore. "A spy sir! She must be a spy; she must work for the Dark Lord!" Dumbledore chuckled at this statement.

"Severus," Dumbledore said, "First release the girl, I believe she is our new student." Snape looked at Dumbledore angrily and thrust the girl toward the empty chair. "Sit!" he scolded her but she didn't look intimidated. Instead she dusted herself off and stood right next to the chair.

Now that he could see her, instead of the blur of punches, Harry noticed she was about his age. She had midnight black hair that was pulled back into two messy pigtails, dark brown eyes and freckles that dotted her nose and cheeks. She was wearing a worn pair of jeans and a striped tee-shirt that was much to big for her. Her skin was pale, but sun kissed and at the moment her expression seemed as though she was about to kill someone.

"Now Severus," Dumbledore started, "would you please excuse us, I would hate to keep you from the feast." He smiled and Snape wore the same look the girl had, except much more ugly. He turned on his heel but before he left he whispered "See you in class, Potter," to Harry and finally left.

"Your name, dear." Dumbledore said to the girl.

"Persephone Blair," she said politely, taking a seat.

Harry did a double take. Was she the new student?

"You were missing at the Sorting, and the feast. There was a disturbance in the Hall, it had to do with some music, would you know anything about it?" he spoke calmly, never breaking eye contact with her.

She looked at him before answering. "I wasn't here because I wasn't invited, and yeah, it's my fault about the music. But, I didn't do it on purpose, I was just singing outside."

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, Hagrid did say you were gifted." She smiled nervously and for the first time realized there was someone else in the room. Some boy with black hair and glasses, she shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She hadn't realized there was an audience.

"Well, here is your invitation, I am exceptionally sorry it was not delivered on time." He handed her an envelope with green lettering and continued. "You must be sorted, please come over..." he motioned her to stand up and she did. From a shelf in back of his desk Dumbledore brought out the Sorting Hat.

Dumbledore placed it on top of her head and Harry eyed her. "She's definitely going to be in Slytherin," he thought. The Sorting Hat took a little while before saying it's results....