"We've arrived at the get. If you don't mind, I'll like to get off first," I said as I stood up.
"Geez, Percy, have you never heard of social etiquette? Something like 'Ladies first'?" Jennifer teased.
"'Men just before'," I quickly quipped with a grin. "I mean, if you want to get out first and get drenched by the storm, then hell yeah, I insist. Go on, then."
"I think what she was trying to say was 'Thank you for being a gentleman by opening our door and getting us an umbrella'," Jessica said.
"Like we couldn't do it ourselves," Priscilla mumbled, earning a playful nudge from Isabel to be quiet.
I exited the carriage first and drew my wand. With a flick, I conjured an incorporeal umbrella and offered each of the girls assistance as they stepped out one by one. Once they were all safely on the ground, they also conjured their own umbrellas, and together we made our way towards the Great Hall.
We were almost at the Great Hall; we just had to take a left turn, and we'd be there. However, we met familiar faces coming from that direction.
"Hello, Mrs. Norris. Hello, Mr. Filch," Jessica said.
"You look quite dapper, Mr. Filch," Jennifer said.
"It's actually Mr. Norris now," Filch corrected. That's going to be hard to get used to. "We decided to get hitched over the summer."
"Congratulations," we all said in unison.
"Then what are you doing here?" Isabel asked.
"Work," Mrs. Norris replied. "I'm the new caretaker for Hogwarts. I'm also taking over some of the extra circulars from some professors."
"Like, what?" I asked.
"Etiquette, for starters. I'm also taking over for Burbage in regards to students who want to continue their muggle education. And did I mention I'm helping Irma with the languages we offer?" Mrs. Norris said.
"Then what about you, Filch? Um, I mean Mr. Norris?" Isabel asked.
"I'm taking on more of an administrator role," he replied.
"Okay, but how?" Isabel asked.
"I insisted for Minerva to come to our wedding, and when she found out Argus was in charge of the logistics, she decided that she was going to allow him to transfer into the admin sector," Mrs. Norris said. "She'll be keeping an eye on my work for the next few months, but I expect she'll give me more autonomy soon."
"Why's that?" Pricilla inquired.
"Would you like to explain, or shall I, dear?" Mrs. Norris said.
"I would like to do it," the new Mr. Norris said. "I started a couple of days ago, and I found some galleons that Albus had 'misplaced'. I questioned Minerva, who then questioned Albus. The galleons were 'found' and put to good use."
"What exactly has Hogwarts used that for?" Pricilla asked.
"We upgraded the brooms and added a cushioning charm to the quidditch pitch to avoid injuries. We had enough money to retain the additional professors from last year, and I even hired a goblin curse breaker to look at the curse of the DADA position," Mr. Norris said proudly. "The curse breaker believes she can break it, but it'll take time. Albus has already made a down payment for her services."
"So there'll be an actual decent professor next year. That's wicked," Pricilla replied.
"Percy, we invited you to come to our wedding. It's a shame you couldn't come. It's the least we could have done since you managed to get me back in my human form. I even managed to get Slughorn to come and give his blessings," Mrs. Norris said.
"Your happiness and the Marauder's Map are payment enough. But, you know Slughorn?" I asked.
"He was my favourite professor. I couldn't believe that he looked almost exactly as I remembered. And I hadn't seen that man for almost 60 years," Mrs. Norris said.
"You're seventy?" I blurted out, immediately regretting my words.
The women gave me a deadpan look, while Mr. Norris shook his head disapprovingly. "What I meant was that you look stunning for seventy. My apologies," I stammered.
"So, where are you headed?" Jessica asked.
"Minerva asked us to wait for the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor and guide him to the Great Hall. He's a retired Auror," Mr. Norris explained.
"But shouldn't he know his way around Hogwarts?" Isabel questioned.
"In theory, yes, but we're planning to head to the staff room with the other professors for a bit of relaxation before the chaos of the new term begins," Mr. Norris replied. "Oh, and Minerva was quite displeased not to see the seventh-year Ravenclaw at the table. You might want to hurry before she starts her speech for the first year. We'll catch up with you all later."
"See you later."
"Goodbye."
As we turned the corner, the grand entrance to the Great Hall came into view, its massive oak doors wide open to welcome the students. The air was thick with anticipation as the first-years awaited their sorting, their whispers mingling with the gentle flicker of candlelight that danced across the walls. But what caught our attention was Professor McGonagall standing at the front of the hall, addressing a group of first-year students.
"Let's try to sneak past," Isabel whispered, motioning for us to keep low and quiet.
We kept our heads down, hoping to slip by unnoticed, but just as we reached the halfway point, Professor McGonagall's stern voice cut through the air.
"Stop right there, Mr. Ebonwood, Ms. Collins, Ms. Pinnock, Ms. Fitzgerald, and Ms. Rosier," she commanded, her gaze fixing on us with an unwavering intensity.
We froze in our tracks, exchanging nervous glances as Professor McGonagall finished her speech to the first year.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking will result in losing house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours," she said while glancing at us.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
"Come along, all of you," Professor McGonagall ordered once she was done, her tone leaving no room for argument. We reluctantly approached the door to the Great Hall after her.
"I must say, I am thoroughly disappointed to find the five of you are late on the first day of term," Professor McGonagall began, her eyes flashing with a mixture of frustration and reprimand. "Ms. Ward-Prowse said that you might be late, but I did not expect you to be this late. I had almost finished giving my speech. As prefects, seventh-year students, and head boy, you are expected to set an example for the younger students. Tardiness is not becoming of Ravenclaw, nor of any house, for that matter."
She paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing.
"I trust this will not happen again," Professor McGonagall said firmly. "You are expected to be role models and leaders amongst your peers. Now, please, take your seats."
We nodded in understanding as we made our way to the Ravenclaw table and sat down. Professor McGonagall exchanged a few words with Headmaster Dumbledore at the head table before returning to the centre of the room, her wand raised to gain everyone's attention.
"Students, this year's sorting may take longer than usual as this is the largest influx of students in the past 15 years," Professor McGonagall announced, her voice projecting across the hall. "I will go and fetch the first years. Please be patient and remain seated until I return."