The Tenth Weasley - CH - 50

The Great Hall of Hogwarts was alive with energy, the golden glow of floating candles illuminating the long tables where students laughed, whispered, and exchanged stories from their summer break. Excitement buzzed through the air, especially among the older students who were eagerly waiting to see which House the newcomers would be sorted into.

Harry sat between Daphne and Blaise, his posture relaxed but his eyes subtly scanning the staff table.

Daphne, however, was anything but relaxed. She kept fidgeting, her gaze glued to the entrance, waiting for her little sister, Astoria, to arrive.

“You’re going to bite your nails off,” Blaise muttered, smirking as he leaned back in his seat.

Daphne shot him a glare. “Shut up.”

Harry, on the other hand, had his attention fixed on the staff table. There, seated among the professors, was Gilderoy Lockhart, the newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. His golden curls were perfectly styled, and he grinned dazzlingly at the students, clearly enjoying the attention.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Merlin help us all."

Blaise followed his gaze and snorted. "That’s Lockhart? The idiot who keeps publishing books about himself?"

“Unfortunately, yes.” Harry sighed. “Defense is going to be a joke this year.”

But what caught Harry's attention even more was Dumbledore. The headmaster’s piercing blue eyes were fixed directly on him, watching him with an intensity that made Harry feel like the man was trying to peer into his soul.

Harry stared back, unblinking. If Dumbledore expected him to flinch under his gaze, he would be disappointed.

Then, the giant doors of the Great Hall creaked open, and the first-years entered, led by Professor McGonagall.

A hush fell over the hall.

Harry immediately spotted Rose, Ginny, and Astoria walking together, their eyes wide with awe as they took in the floating candles, the enchanted ceiling, and the grandeur of the Great Hall. Their steps slowed as they absorbed the moment, their gazes flickering in every direction.

The Sorting Hat sat atop the famous three-legged stool, which Filch had just placed in front of the staff table.

Harry watched as Dumbledore removed his own hat, revealing the ancient, patched Sorting Hat beneath.

Harry frowned.

He knew the Sorting Hat had a mind of its own. Could Dumbledore be communicating with it?

Was he asking it questions? Or was he seeking advice?

Harry wasn’t sure, but he had the distinct feeling that the Sorting Hat had been instructed to watch him closely.

The Sorting Hat sat proudly atop its three-legged stool, looking as ancient and worn as ever. A hush fell over the Great Hall as the rip at its brim opened wide and it burst into song:


"A thousand years I've sat and seen,"
"The bravest, wise, and shrewdest keen,"
"The loyal hearts and daring souls,"
"Who sought to reach their noble goals."

"Gryffindors, with courage bright,"
"Stand firm and fight for what is right."
"Ravenclaws, with minds so keen,"
"Seek wisdom in all things unseen."

"Hufflepuffs, so true and kind,"
"Work with patience, strength of mind."
"And Slytherins, so bold and wise,"
"Achieve their dreams with shrewd disguise."

"So come now, step up, do not delay,"
"For I shall sort you without sway."
"For Hogwarts calls and bids you well,"
"Your House is where you shall excel!"


The Hall erupted into cheers and applause. Harry leaned over to Blaise, smirking. “Not bad. What do you think?”

Blaise smirked. “Better than last year’s. At least this time, it didn’t sound like it was threatening to overthrow the Ministry.”

Daphne, however, wasn’t paying attention to the Sorting Hat anymore—her eyes were locked onto her sister, Astoria, who was shifting nervously on her feet.

Harry followed her gaze. “She’ll be fine,” he said, nudging her. “It’s just a hat.”

Daphne scoffed. “Just a hat? That thing forces lifelong House rivalries upon children!”

“Alright, fair point,” Harry conceded.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, parchment in hand. “When I call your name, you will come forward, sit on the stool, and I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head.”

One by one, first-years were called up.

"Greengrass, Astoria!"

Daphne stiffened. All around her, students whispered—they knew Greengrass was a Slytherin name.

Astoria, wide-eyed and nervous, approached the stool and sat down. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, and everyone expected the Sorting to take only a moment.

But it didn’t.

Astoria sat there for what felt like forever, the Hat muttering to her. Even from where she sat, Daphne could see the furrow in her sister’s brow, the slight tremble of her fingers.

Then, the Sorting Hat opened its brim and announced—

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Great Hall went silent for a heartbeat, before the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers.

Daphne’s jaw dropped.

Harry blinked. "Well, that’s unexpected."

Blaise grinned. "Oh, this is going to be hilarious."

At the Gryffindor table, Charlie Potter and Ron were clapping as Astoria stumbled toward them, still in shock.

Daphne groaned, rubbing her temples. “Merlin help us,” she muttered. Then she turned to Harry. “Well, at least she won’t be needing a room in your dormitory anymore.”

Harry chuckled. “Guess not.”

The Sorting continued.

"Lovegood, Luna!"

A small, dreamy-eyed girl with long blonde hair walked up to the stool. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, and after a brief moment, it announced—

"RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw table clapped politely, and Luna skipped toward them with a small smile.

"Potter, Rose!"

Rose beamed and practically ran up to the stool. The moment the Sorting Hat was placed on her head, it barely had time to touch her hair before it bellowed—

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table exploded in cheers again.

Harry sighed. Of course.

"Weasley, Ginny!"

Ginny grinned at her brothers and then marched confidently up to the stool. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, and once again, the Sorting took less than a second.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Fred and George immediately stood up, cheering, and Ron whooped from the table, clapping wildly.

Harry joined in the applause, smiling.

Daphne, though relieved that her sister seemed happy, sighed dramatically. “Just my luck. The family disgrace. What am I supposed to tell Mother?”

Blaise smirked. “That she was kidnapped by lions.”

Once the Sorting concluded, Dumbledore rose to his feet, spreading his arms wide. The Hall fell silent as he smiled warmly at the gathered students.

"Another year begins!" he said cheerfully. "And what a wonderful time it is to be at Hogwarts! Before we begin our splendid feast, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—Professor Gilderoy Lockhart!"

The Hall erupted into polite applause, though not everyone was enthusiastic.

Lockhart stood up, flashing his signature dazzling smile, and waved dramatically.

Harry glanced at Blaise, who whispered, "This is going to be a disaster."

Daphne snorted. "At least he’ll be entertaining."

Dumbledore continued, “Now, a few rules before we begin: The Forbidden Forest remains strictly off-limits to all students. Mr. Filch has requested that I remind you that magic is forbidden in the corridors, and that the list of banned items now includes—”

Dumbledore chuckled, glancing at Fred and George. "Well, far too many things to list at this moment."

A wave of laughter spread through the Hall.

“Now, with that said—” Dumbledore clapped his hands, and the tables instantly filled with food.

The feast began.

Harry dug into his food, savoring the heavenly flavors. Hogwarts food was truly magical.

Daphne, still muttering about her sister, poked at her roast beef.

Blaise smirked. "So, how long until Astoria writes home?"

Daphne groaned. "Mother is going to lose her mind."

Harry chuckled. "Maybe she’ll disown her. You’d have no more competition for heir."

Daphne shot him a deadpan look. "I hate you."

After the feast, Dumbledore instructed the Prefects to escort the first-years to their dormitories.

The Slytherin Prefects, as usual, led their students to the Dungeon.

Harry, Blaise, and Daphne, however, exchanged knowing looks and ignored the Prefects, instead heading straight to their private room.

When they arrived, Daphne collapsed onto the couch dramatically. "I am not ready for this year."

Blaise laughed, kicking off his shoes. "Too late now."

Harry simply sat back, grinning. "Let the madness begin."

The next morning, the Hogwarts castle was bathed in golden light as the sun rose above the towering spires. The chilly September breeze swept through the corridors, but inside the castle, the warmth of the enchanted torches and the bustling energy of students returning to their daily routine filled the air.

Harry Weasley sat up in his private room, stretching as he heard the faint rustling of movement in the adjacent rooms. The start of a new year always came with excitement—but this year, there was something different. With his reputation as a skilled enchanter and ward-maker, fewer students dared to challenge him anymore. He almost missed the thrill of the Seventh Years who had graduated last year—the ones who had constantly tried (and failed) to break into his heavily warded personal quarters.

As he got dressed, the sounds of students moving about in the Slytherin common room reached him. The younger years were already being escorted to breakfast in the Great Hall, led by the Slytherin Prefects.

Harry met up with Daphne and Blaise outside his room.

Daphne sighed dramatically. "Another year of Hogwarts nonsense."

Blaise smirked. "Another year of me watching you suffer, Greengrass."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Let’s get breakfast before you two start dueling in the hallway."

Together, they made their way to the Great Hall, which was buzzing with life. Students were already seated at their house tables, talking and eating.

Harry’s sharp gaze instantly found his younger sisters—Rose, Ginny, and Astoria—who had just entered the Great Hall along with Griffindor Prefects.

The three first-year girls hesitated at the entrance for a moment, unsure where to sit.

Draco Malfoy, who was sitting at the Slytherin table, smirked arrogantly as he saw them. "Lost, little lions? Or maybe you’re regretting not being sorted into Slytherin?"

Astoria glared at Malfoy. "I’d rather eat with trolls than sit near you, Malfoy."

Daphne raised an eyebrow at her sister’s retort but said nothing, clearly amused.

Harry, however, cut in smoothly, ignoring Malfoy’s comment. "If you want, you can sit with us. The food tastes the same at every table."

Ginny and Rose beamed and quickly took the empty seats beside Harry, one on each side.

Astoria hesitated for a second before sitting next to Daphne, who gave her a knowing look but didn't object.

Luna Lovegood, completely unbothered by the tension, gracefully sat down next to Blaise. She gave him a serene smile. "You look less gloomy today, Zabini. The Wrackspurts must have left you alone this morning."

Blaise, who was never easily flustered, looked at her with a mix of amusement and confusion. "That’s… good to know?"

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, before you all get comfortable, let me give you some advice about Hogwarts. First—write to your parents so they don’t worry about you. Second—study well, and don’t slack off unless you want to be nagged by Hermione Granger. And third…"

Rose leaned in eagerly. "What’s the third?"

Harry smirked. "Hogwarts is full of hidden corridors, secret rooms, and dangerous places. If you’re clever, you can find shortcuts and secret passageways."

Ginny’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Tell us everything!"

Daphne groaned, sipping her pumpkin juice. "Oh, Merlin. Another generation of rule-breakers is being born."

Astoria, surprisingly, looked thoughtful. "Secret passageways? That sounds useful."

Harry nodded. "There’s one near the fourth-floor corridor that leads straight to the kitchens. The house-elves will give you food if you’re nice to them."

Luna clapped her hands together. "That’s wonderful! Maybe they have pudding."

Rose and Ginny exchanged excited glances.

Ron, who had been sitting with Charlie Porter and Neville Longbottom at the Gryffindor table, noticed them missing and stormed over.

"Oi! What do you lot think you're doing sitting here?!" Ron demanded, glaring at his younger sister and the other Griffindors.

Ginny, unbothered, took another bite of her toast. "Eating breakfast."

Ron scowled. "You’re supposed to sit with Gryffindor!"

Harry smirked. "There’s no rule saying you can’t sit with friends from other houses."

Ron looked outraged, but before he could argue, a loud fluttering noise filled the Hall as hundreds of owls swooped in through the open windows, carrying letters, packages, and newspapers.

Daphne sipped her juice and glanced at Ron. "Your timetable is about to be handed out. I suggest you take them back to your table before McGonagall hexes you for delaying first-years."

Ron grumbled, but he wasn’t about to argue with Professor McGonagall’s wrath hanging over his head. He looked at Ginny, Rose, and Astoria. "Come on, let’s go.

Ginny rolled her eyes but stood up with Rose and Astoria, grabbing a piece of toast to take with them.

Luna, however, remained seated, still enjoying her meal.

Harry watched as his sisters headed back to the Gryffindor table, with Ron grumbling the entire way.

As the Hogwarts owls swooped down, a large black eagle owl landed gracefully in front of Daphne, dropping a sealed letter onto her plate before flying off.

Blaise received a package, which he opened to find a neatly wrapped book with a note from his mother.

A grey barn owl landed in front of Harry, dropping a small parcel. Harry recognized the Weasley family owl, Errol, struggling to fly properly.

"Poor thing," Daphne muttered as Errol collapsed onto the table in exhaustion.

Harry quickly took the letter and let Errol rest in a goblet of water before he opened it.

"From Mum and Dad," he told Daphne and Blaise. He read it quickly, then sighed.

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "What now?"

Harry leaned back in his chair. "Just my parents being extra protective after the whole Parseltongue thing."

Daphne gave him a sympathetic look. "Are they still acting weird?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. The Potters too. They keep treating me like I’m some ticking time bomb."

Blaise scoffed. "Well, you did terrify Borgin in Knockturn Alley by hissing at him."

Harry smirked. "That was just for fun."

Daphne shook her head. "You’re going to give your parents a heart attack one of these days."

Harry just chuckled. "I’ll survive."

As the students around them continued to read their letters and eat their breakfast, the first full day of Hogwarts began, filled with anticipation, secrets, and the promise of new adventures.