Start-of-Term Feast
Hermione had butterflies in her stomach. It had only been a few weeks since she had been at Hogwarts, but the sight of the castle was breathtaking. This was her first time entering the school from its main entrance. She did not succeed when looking for Harry and Ron among the other students. She knew she would have time until the Start-of-Term Feast at the Great Hall, where she could go to the Gryffindor Common Room and meet them.
Meeting them at the top of the stairs to the main doors were Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. They were talking casually with each other while all the students were arriving. She couldn’t tell what they were talking about, but she was very glad to be received by her favorite teacher. Maybe it was another sign of a great year for her. McGonagall took her wand and cast Sonorus on her throat, so she would be heard by all.
“Attention, please, students. Welcome back to Hogwarts for another school year. We indeed have ample reason to celebrate, but for the moment, I ask each of you to proceed directly to the Great Hall and await further instructions there.
You may notice that there are currently no house banners displayed. I encourage you to sit wherever you find a place, as we have made some temporary adjustments. I am aware that many of you are eager to reunite with friends, but I ask for your patience as we will begin an early feast shortly, followed by several important announcements.
Please, make your way to the Great Hall in an orderly fashion, and, as always, I expect you to be on your best behavior.”
McGonagall turned to guide the students after the entrance to the school, while Snape stayed outside to maintain as much order as possible. Someone pulled her sweater vest, which startled her.
“Dirigible Plum?” The small girl wearing very peculiar glasses said to her.
“I’m sorry, a what plum?”
“Dirigible Plum, it feels like you could use it. It helps to grow the ability to accept the extraordinary. You are Hermione, I believe a tad of that would do you good.”
She took the offered plum from the dirty blonde girl. Something that she could not exactly pinpoint told her this girl was trustworthy. Perhaps her gentle spirit or how whimsical she acted.
“Thank you, um… I believe we have not been introduced before.”
“Oh, well, I believe we know each other intimately, one way or another. Luna Lovegood. You might recognize me from a few small articles featured in past issues of The Quibbler.”
“Well, I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but I will try to catch up to the latest edition.”
Luna smiled warmly and nodded, crossing arms with her and walking towards the entrance. She followed while eating the plum, which was very sweet and juicy. She felt very hopeful and pondered if the fruit had any hand in that. Luna talked little on the way to the Great Hall and the silence felt very comfortable somehow. It felt reassuring being close to someone so comfortable in their skin, she thought to herself, wondering if she could ever get to that point. She didn’t have a chance to go look for her friends, as Luna took her towards what would have been the Hufflepuff table, which was neither of their houses.
“Isn’t it nice, to change?”
“Is it? I feel a little out of place here, Luna.”
“We are always where we are supposed to be, or something like that. You are familiar with the great works of Gandalf the Grey turned White?”
“From The Hobbit?”
“And Lord of The Rings. Tolkien was one of the best muggles to have contact with the Wizard World.”
She chuckled, seeing how light it was interacting with Luna. As she was getting ready to discuss Tolkien’s work in more detail, Dumbledore entered the room, leading the first years. Leaving them at the entrance of the hall, he went hastily to the front of the room. He clapped, which made all the students go silent and look at him.
“Welcome, welcome, dear students, both old and new! I imagine that some of you may be peering around this hall with a hint of curiosity, wondering why things might appear… well, rather different than you remember, or perhaps different from what you might have heard. Indeed, following the events of last year, we stand now at the dawn of a new era—one marked, I would hope, not by fear or shadow, but by resilience and, dare I say, a glimmer of hope.
With much of the darkness now behind us, we are presented with an opportunity—an invitation, if you will—to pause, to reflect, and perhaps to reconsider not only what has been but, more importantly, what could be. I am certain that many of you have felt the weight of the past years, seen the troubles wrought by hatred, and felt the divide it brought about, sparing none: not Muggle-borns, not those brave enough to love as they choose, nor those who dared question traditions that may have better served as relics of the past. Even the walls of Hogwarts itself have not been immune to division and discord, as we can see from the strong competition between our houses.
And so, as your headmaster, and as someone who deeply cares for each and every one of you, I believe it is not merely our responsibility, but our privilege, to guide you toward a kinder, more united future. To that end, I have an announcement—one that may surprise you, but which I trust will allow us all to grow in ways perhaps we have never before considered.
Starting this year, Hogwarts will adopt a new approach to Sorting. Yes, from this day onward, you shall be sorted anew, each and every year. But do not fret—there is no need for the usual ceremony tonight. The Sorting Hat shall move quietly among you now, bestowing upon each of you a ribbon in your house colors—whether that house remains the same as before, or perhaps, is new to you this year. And afterward, we shall dine together in the seating arrangement you see before you, with the first years finding any spot that calls to them. I encourage each of you to take this opportunity to meet and engage with your fellow students beyond your house borders.
Once our feast concludes, your respective Heads of House will escort you to your dormitories. Before we proceed, I would be remiss not to remind you of our most cherished school rules:
1. The Forbidden Forest is, as always, strictly off-limits to all students. You will find that curiosity can indeed lead to many peculiar adventures, but perhaps let that curiosity remain within the boundaries of our grounds.
2. Magic in the corridors between classes is, as you know, discouraged. Please respect the quietude of your peers moving to and from lessons and leave the Transfiguration and charms to your classrooms.
3. Quidditch trials shall be announced in due time, so those of you with a particular knack for the sport, keep an ear out.
And, lastly, in your things, you shall find a rather comprehensive list of items banned from Hogwarts, courtesy of our diligent caretaker, Mr. Filch. The list grows ever longer, so please do peruse it carefully and save us all a good deal of trouble.
Now, my dear students, without any further ado, let the Sorting Hat begin its work among you, and let us embark on this feast and this new term together!”
The hall was in furor with the news, and before she could even start to digest all that was said, the Sorting Hat had already worked its way through her table and she could see the ribbon that would determine her school year. As she was turning towards her robe to see the ribbon she could hear people chanting and celebrating from what would have been the original Gryffindor table.
She tried to understand what was going on and before long she could see Harry and Ron being tossed up and down by other students, all of them using a red ribbon in their robes. She was so happy, she would soon be able to go to their dorm and talk with enough time and privacy with her best friends. She mentioned getting up and going towards them when she was pulled back to reality as Luna grabbed her arm.
“Oh what wonderful changes for us, right? Who would have guessed that a Ravenclaw would become a Hufflepuff and that a Gryffindor would become a Slytherin? I am sure glad we ate our Dirigible Plums, we can enter this new phase open-heartedly. How lucky for us to have this extraordinary opportunity!”
Confused at first, not understanding Luna’s words. She looked down at her own robe and noticed her ribbon was very far from the red she was expecting. It was emerald green. She was a Slytherin – not a Gryffindor. It felt surreal. Would she be able to spend as much time with her friends? Would she still be able to have a mentorship with Professor McGonagall? Who would she share a room with? Would she be accepted at this house that had in its majority pure-blood students? Would she be able to live among all the partying that Slytherins put together?
She started to hyperventilate, feeling as if something terrible was going to happen. Her vision became cloudy white and she could feel her fingers going numb. She started to lean and fall backward. Once again, Malfoy was there holding her, but she could see he had a worried look on his face and a ribbon that mirrored her own on his robe.
“Granger, are you alright? Breathe with me, take deep breaths, you are panicking.” Malfoy said.
“Let’s take her to the infirmary, Draco!” Pansy said close by, or at least, she thought it was Pansy, it was hard to tell when she was losing consciousness.
With no strength left to stay awake, all went black and silent. She had fainted.