Fennec Smith: A Harry Potter Fanfiction Part 2

Instructions

Chapter One Fennec followed the other first-years into the Great Hall. The entire hall went silent at the sight of them, as they filed past the tables and up to a platform at the end of the hall. A tall, white bearded man wearing rich red robes greeted them. “Attention, new students of Hogwarts.” He said. “Welcome to your first year at Hogwarts!” All the new students clapped, Fennec included. “Part of being here at Hogwarts is you have your own house. There are four such houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The people in your houses will be like your family. I, Professor Dumbledore, will now place the Sorting Hat on your head, and it will tell you which house you are in. Come up when I call your name, first years.” A chair and a stand with a witch’s hat on it was brought onto the stage. Fennec watched as student after student went up to the platform and was sorted into their houses. A few minutes later, Dumbledore called a new name. “Melody Riddle?” Fennec gasped. Everyone fell silent. A black-haired girl went up. Dumbledore started to say something, but Fennec wasn’t listening. He was excitedly thinking //Oh my gosh! A Riddle at Hogwarts! I wonder if she knew He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I-// And then he saw her. She was standing near the front of the queue, looking up at the Riddle-girl with wide pale-green eyes. She had long hair so blonde it was almost white and was clutching her small brown satchel tightly. Fennec watched her for a while, then his name was called. “Fennec Smith?” Fennec walked nervously up to the platform and sat down on the stool. The Sorting Hat was placed on his head, and the last thing he saw as it’s brim went past his eyes, was the blonde girl. “Fennec Smith, hey?” said the Sorting Hat. “Hmm. Smart. Bookish. I think… RAVENCLAW!” Fennec leaped up and took the Sorting Hat off his head. He walked off the platform towards the Ravenclaw table, stealing glances at the blonde girl as he hurried off. All the Ravenclaws clapped him on the back. “Fenn! Over here!” his cousin, Clara Crawford, called. “Hi, Clara,” said Fenn, sliding into place beside her. “Shh…” Clara said, continuing to watch the sorting. “Harmony?” The blonde girl walked up to the platform. Fennec’s brain was doing a very weird thing. It was going in circles, trying to think about his elation about being in Ravenclaw, and also hoping that the blonde girl (whose name as Harmony, what a pretty name!) would also be in Ravenclaw. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, and after a minute it yelled “SLYTHERIN!” The blonde girl took the hat off and proceeded to the Slytherin table, where the black-haired girl named Melody Riddle was waiting. They started talking excitedly to the second-years, and then Fennec saw a boy, with white-blond hair remarkably like Harmony’s, lean over and start talking. Fennec glared at his back, then turned on a smile as Harmony looked his way. He waved, but Harmony obviously didn’t see him and turned back to the Riddle-girl. Fennec ate his dinner, his eyes on Harmony most of the time, and only vaguely registering the names of the other Ravenclaws around him. When they were dismissed, Fennec hurried after Harmony, but she was pulled back by Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin House, and taken up a stone staircase. As Fennec was shunted towards Ravenclaw Tower with the other Ravenclaws, his last thought was: //I wonder if she’ll notice me.//