Hagrid and Filch got up from the staff table to go look for the boy, Hagrid muttering soft apologies about having left the flock unsupervised 'jest fer a minute' outside of the main doors, and that was probably around when he'd gotten lost.
One of the Weasley twins sitting at the Gryffindor table made an expectant 'Why hasn't our prank gone off' look to the other, who helplessly shrugged, gestures not missed at the main table.
When they hit Goyle and the pupil in question was not to be found McGonagall knew this was going to be one of those years. Still, it was hardly unusual. It rarely happened that one student ran off alone, more often they did so in small groups, thinking there was safety in numbers. Professor Sprout left the table to make certain they hadn't circled around back and gotten into her greenhouses (which had quite a few dangerous plants no one should go near without instruction), and the Sorting went on.
Dumbledore was inwardly confused (though he feared to show it lest any interpret that as undue concern for the missing students who were probably all fine) when the 'H's' rolled past without a Hecate. But that was fine, she had probably wanted to use her family name, after all. But that comforting thought went away when the 'K's' marched past and no Kuno.
He could see the girl right there, and wondered what the matter was.
Things went calmly on up into the 'M's' when it was discovered young Draco Malfoy was also truant. At this point Professor McGonagall turned around to direct a questioning gaze to a face at the head table, but that woman, one with red hair and a proud bearing, simply gave a shrug. Dumbledore took that opportunity to whisper quietly to a ghost that he had motioned near, and that figure nodded, swept around a gaze informing the rest of the specters before they all left the room, presumably to get involved in the search.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself before what was undoubtedly going to be an interesting year, Professor McGonagall read the next name on the list, a second pureblood. "Ranko Malfoy."
Kodachi's eyes narrowed as she saw a redhaired girl spring forward, jumping nearly fifty feet from closer to the back of the room to land gracefully at the front, arcing high over all of their heads as she did so. The pigtail was gone, her red hair flowed freely all of the way down her back to nearly her ankles. She wore makeup and jewelry and a fine, embroidered robe of close to the quality of Kodachi herself's garments; yet it was undoubtedly the same girl, the style was unmistakable, as was the girl's unhappy pout and her breast size. Really, a C cup at age eleven?
Kodachi smirked. The harridan's height was even unchanged. Apparently she'd stopped growing up early on and instead only rounded out. That kind of figure turned to fat so easily over the mature years.
Then she reminded herself that seeing this girl here could only cause dear Tatewaki heartache and so must in itself be a good thing. Nor would she be required to fight her over Ranma, so perhaps a new start was in order. She'd have to see. Then again, an idle prank for revenge or old time's sake could be appropriate. Something gentle and none too dire, like leaving her naked and paralyzed, upside down in this very hall before breakfast one morning could still prove amusing.
Quite unusually, the hat sat a full minute on the girl's long, bouncy hair before calling out, "I need some help on this... Professor Dumbledore?"
"Yes?" The ancient headmaster felt quite surprised to be addressed, and had to quit the whispered conversation he'd been having with a returned Sprout to conduct this business with the hat.
"You're the Headmaster, you tell me. This student is perfectly qualified for two Houses... Hmm, maybe even three, though it's a close one. Thankfully I can rule out four, and the third is iffy. But there's just no disqualifying this person from either of two Houses, and has no preferences of her own either way. What should be done with her?"
Dumbledore blinked. This, he could say honestly, had never happened in his experience either as a student or as a staff member in all of his long years at Hogwarts. Going the path of least resistance, he asked the hat, "What do you suggest?"
"Hmm, going to be that way, are you? Very well, it's not been done in five hundred years, but there you go, it has been done before. So Headmaster Crimshaw's ruling in now put out of use, is it? That's fine, I prefer doing things this way, really. Dual House Student! This one goes in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor!"
"Uh, where do I sit?" The redhaired beauty asked the hat as she lifted it off her wavy locks.
"Pick a table, child. You'll be using them both often enough during your time here." The hat put in a gentle reply. "Ah, I can recall back when this was done all of the time. You'll do well, girl. Just don't forget, you've got two Houses to call your own and live up to. Don't favor either of them over the other and everything will work out. Next!" The hat barked at Minerva McGonagall, who startled rather badly and nearly dropped her scroll, thus missing the hat give out a soft belch with lots of soap bubbles. Dumbledore, deep in his conversation with Sprout, also missed this warning sign.
Fred and George Weasley saw this and gave each other thumbs up.
Things went more or less as usual from that point for a short time on. The Sorting Hat gave an occasional hiccup or belch, which the anxious and highly stressed staff largely missed as concern grew over the missing trio and the search had to be widened, while McGonagall, who was apart from this discussion, had her own worries to be concerned about as she was in charge of class scheduling and what do you do with a student who is supposed to belong to TWO houses?
Her fingers started trembling rather badly when the 'P's' came by and Dual House students went from one to three as the Patil twins also got that Ravenclaw + Gryffindor pairing. The hat gave a long bubble-filled belch at that point, filling that portion of the hall with colorful soap bubbles and looking a little tipsy in its seat. It had to be rescued by the next student from falling off its chair it had begun swaying about so badly.
Pansy Parkinson had been so surprised to get sorted into Ravenclaw earlier.
Dumbledore had gone off to coordinate the search of Hogsmead, where a concerned Hagrid had confessed he'd left the little tykes alone 'jest fer a second, honest!' The others of the staff had gone off to join the search, or were concerned chiefly in counting the remaining students, coming up one too many and starting over in confusion. Students around the hall had begun to look at the broadly grinning George and Fred Weasley, while McGonagall was near the end of her rope wondering if Peter Pettigrew's appearance had anything to do with the trio of disappearing students, and once when she'd paused to relay this concern to the staff table behind her three quarters of the remaining teachers had vanished to various methods of conveying this concern, either to the search party or by flooing the Ministry of Magic. Then, when she had been sure she couldn't get any more out of sorts, before she'd turned back around to face the student tables she was certain she'd been goosed!
Having her panties stuck up her crack by that anonymous grope had been doing nothing good for her concentration from that point, and her eyes were more on the student body searching for culprits or guilty faces more than it was on the stable, safe and always predictable Sorting Hat behind her.
"Harry Potter!" She realized she'd sounded angry barking out his name like that and did her best to take the bite out of it with a smile before wincing and throwing her steely gaze back over the hall.
She wasn't going to just give in and adjust her underwear before the whole school! No, she'd wait until she could excuse herself from the staff table during mealtime and do so in privacy.
"Hmm, hic! Washa matta Hairy Pot-tuh?" The hat slurred into the boy's mind as it was put on his head. It nearly fell off to one side, and he had to hold it steady as it seemed likely to slip off at any moment, as if it had no balance at all.
"Nothing. Nothing's the matter with me." The Boy Who Lived replied timidly, uncertain of this unexpected twist.
"Hm, jush wha ah thought, no gutsh." Then it yelled aloud, "Hufflepuff! Schnerk. Hic!" It fell off the stool to land on its side, even though Harry had put it down properly. But no one seemed to notice as the young star ran off to join his table to loud applause.
Students began to look confused as they got off the chair, and once Professor McGonagall had even turned around to wonder what the matter was, but doing so she exposed her vulnerable backside so not only did she get goosed, but her bra strap snapped and broken as well! Now her fronts were hanging unsupported and swaying about so she had to be careful how she moved. She'd almost given one child a blow on the head as she'd whipped about from first receiving that treatment and her breasts flared out, lifting the fabric of her loose robe.
Now she was certain she could feel the seams of her undergarments unraveling before the entire school and was determined to keep her beady eyes on potential pranksters so nothing further happened.
Paying very little attention to the actual Sorting was going to cost her, however.
"Ginevra Weasley." One of the prefects, and also a first year, startled badly when they heard the name, but McGonagall pierced them both with her beady eyes, just daring them to try something. What them let her guard down again. Ha! Just because she was friends with the Weasley family didn't mean she was going to take her eye off them for a minute!
"Gr... yffin... slyther... puff." The Hat hiccuped, so inebriated it could no longer pronounce properly. "Wasshername? Oh, riiiight. Gryffin.. Door! Atsh riigh."
Ginny left the hat to puddle on the ground like a used towel while McGonagall ferociously refused to bow to the itch in her butt crack and shouted out "Ronald Weasley" more angrily than intended.
The Sorting Hat didn't even seem to notice when Ron picked it up and put it on his head. "An, Ah... I kno an... anuzer name, too! Slytherin!"
Ron's face paled when he heard this, and trudged miserably over to the correct table, dropping the hat carelessly on the ground behind him. Moments later the last student picked it up and it seemed the hat had gone on to a funky drunk. "Ey! I kno! Asschitent Groundshkeep'r, thatsh a good un."
It then fell off Blaise Zambini's head and began to loudly snore.
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(Posted Thu, 28 Jul 2005 09:39)
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