History meets Family
It was now reaching midnight, the feast had long ago ended, and with the Weasley's help Harry had been able to send the letter off to his Mum. Percy had been loath to allow an owl on the first night, but Ron had been able to come up with something that had changed his elder brother's mind. Harry wasn't sure what his new friend had told the older redhead to make him suddenly far more willing to help get the letter out, but quite frankly he didn't care.
However while Harry and the other students were happily sleeping away in their beds, all of the teachers had been called to the headmaster's office, to deal with a situation that had arisen. The situation in question was the arrival of a heavily pissed off Azalea, and her grandmother. Both of whom had torn off for Hogwarts as soon as they received Harry's letter.
"Now Ms. Rose," Dumbldore tried to sooth the angry woman in front of him, it failed miserably.
"Don't you 'now Ms. Rose' me you old codger" Azalea snarled, Lacey leaning on her cane behind her granddaughter with a slight smirk on her face, "I was already leery about sending Harry here based off of my low opinion of you," Azalea was pacing a small open space amongst the gathered professors, "And now I hear that you're openly allowing eleven year old children to be mocked by half to three fourths of the remaining student body?" she wheeled on Dumbldore her eyes flashing gold, "I'd ask how you've been able to run such a successful school for so long under such conditions, but obviously you had enough sense to hire competent teachers!" she gestured at McGonigal, Pomfrey, Sprout, and Flitwick, though they didn't have their wands out, their hands were near them, and they were keeping a very close eye on the pacing witch.
Snape sneered at the young brunette, "And just who are you to question our judgment?" he stalked forward from his place near Dumbledore, "Who are you that you think you have a say on where Mr. Potter attends school?" he'd had to force himself not to sneer the Potter boy's name, and the flashing eyes this woman shot back at him told him that she'd known it.
"I'm his guardian and adoptive mother Mr. Snape," Azalea stated curtly, causing a surprised gasp from a few of the other teachers, "Harry was left on my doorstep at barely over a year old," she quirked her eyebrow up, "Or was your headmaster's plan not common knowledge?"
Dumbledore was quick to try and retake control of the situation, "Ms. Rose that doesn't fully explain why you're here," he gave a small smile, attempting to seem open and friendly, Lacy snorted from where she stood.
"Course it does," the older witch drawled, "Don't know 'bout here but back home we'd call this a cause for concern."
Azalea raised an eyebrow, "Of course I doubt you take parental concern into account Mr. Dumbldore," she crossed her arms, "Otherwise this house feud I've recently been made aware of wouldn't exist."
Snape's eyes widened, not once had he thought about the fact that Dumbldore could have, should have, done something about the house feud. Something could have been done long before Lily had been lost.
Azalea's eyes narrowed when she noticed how Snape had started acting, "Don't you suddenly start changin' sides Mr. Snape," she hissed, "I'm very well aware of the past you have with my Harry's birth mother," his eyes blew wide, "I'm usin' this as an example to y'all," she tilted her head with a sickly sweet smile, "I will fight for my baby," she looked Dumbledore right in his eyes, "And any other children I feel need it."
Dumbledore's eye twitched, though he tried to hide it, "Now Ms. Rose there really is no need,"
Lacy started cackling like a loon, "No need," she gasped out, "No need he says when my girl is ready to go to war for so many eleven year olds who probably cried themselves to sleep tonight," the older witch's eyes were hard when she looked back at Dumbledore, "No need he says, when he can see just from her stance that my Azlea would make him eat his words."
Azalea rolled her eyes, "That's enough Memaw," she gave a forced smile, "Now Mr. Dumbledore," he gave her a bright but clearly phony smile, "One of the reasons you seem to have so much issue with my having issues with this is that you think I wouldn't understand since I was never sorted for your school," she smirked, "So let's fix that shall we?"
Dumbledore gave a wide eyed stare, "My dear I have no idea what you could possibly mean," he stated as if taken aback.
Azalea gave a rather feral smile, "Why it's rather simple Mr. Dumbldore," she drawled as she casually walked over to the shelving unit that housed the ragged sorting hat, "I'm suggestin' that I sit through this sortin' see just what it's all about." she flashed a sharp smile Dumbledore's way, "That is alright with you ain't it sir?"
Before Dumbledore could answer McGonigal spoke up, "I think that's a wonderful idea Albus," she smiled at Azalea, making the younger witch feel as if she was being praised, "After all I would certainly love to have an outside perspective of our sorting process."
Dumbldore almost looked like he was going to lose his cool, Azalea and Lacey were so shore that they saw the old wizard grinding his teeth, but he quickly schooled his expression and gave a small serene smile, "Yes of course," he smiled and waved his wand to conjure another chair, "Won't you please take a seat Ms. Rose, Minerva if you would please get the sorting hat?"
Azalea did as asked and sat in the conjured chair, giving Mcgonigal a small smile when the older witch walked forward with the sorting hat in hand, she sat up straighter and waited to feel the hat placed on her head, "My my, isn't this interesting," a masculine voice echoed seemingly in her mind, "So many traits, so many possibilities, I simply can't decide," the hat hemmed and hawed a little more before the voice began speaking allowed to the room, "Two houses in equal parts, one full of cunning the other full of heart, since neither stand out, together I must say, in Slytherin or Hufflepuff this young lady would stay."
Dumbledore's face immediately paled, and even the other professors looked shocked, "Ms. Rose, Madame I believe it would be best if the two of you stayed for a night or two," Dumbledore looked like he'd bitten into something sour as he made his request.
"Oh dear," Azalea and Lacey exchanged laughing glances, "Well if we must," they then showed wide grins to Dumbledore, "It'll be nice to see Harry again so soon anyway."