𝟏.| ✬ 𝒟ℯ𝒶𝓇 ℬ𝒾𝓁𝓁, ✬ {ℬ. 𝒲ℯ𝒶𝓈𝓁ℯ𝓎}

\𝓉ℯ𝓃\

~

When they reached the school, Eleanora followed the twins to their seats in the Great Hall to await the feast. The room was loud, filled with the sounds of friends who hadn't seen each other in two months greeting each other. She waved to Oliver Wood, who was sitting with some of his fellow fifth years at the end of the table, and he smiled back at her. When they settled into seats across from Percy, they started discussing the sorting ceremony.

"I always like the hat's song, what do you think it'll be about this year?" George asked.

"Dunno, I'm always too hungry to really listen. Think they'll have steak and kidney pie?" said Fred.

"I'm sure they will, they always do," Eleanora said, pulling at a loose thread on her robes. The sweets on the train hadn't done much to stop her hunger, and she was just realizing that she really hadn't eaten anything all day. "I wish they'd get started already, I'm starving."

The twins nodded in agreement.

"The sorting's a very important ceremony, Eleanora. You shouldn't just write it off like that," Percy said in a huff.

Eleanora scrunched up her face at him. "I'm not writing it off, I'm just saying I wish they'd it hurry up." Percy shot her an annoyed look. She was about to say more when the Hogwarts ghosts all floated through the furthermost wall. "Oh look, it's Sir Nick!" She pointed excitedly. Sure enough, Sir Nicholas was gliding towards them, airily. "Hello, Nick!" Eleanora said, happy to see the ghost. She'd spent many afternoons last Christmas break talking to him as she'd had no other company. She liked to think of him as her friend.

"Ahhh, hello Miss Marks. Ready for yet another year?"

"Always am," she said cheerily. "How was your summer?"

"Yeah, wait- what do ghosts do during the summer?" Fred asked.

"That sounds like the title to a kid's book," said Lee Jordan, laughing.

Sir Nick didn't look amused. "We ghosts find ways to entertain ourselves in the castle just like every other season. Our amusement does not rely on whether or not there are small children running around and getting in our way." He glided to the other side of the table to talk to a group of second years.

"Are all ghosts easily offended?" George asked, suppressing a smile.

"Nah, Nick's just sensitive," said Eleanora.

Finally, the new first years filed into the hall, looking scared and helpless.

"Were we that small?" Fred muttered in Eleanora's ear.

She turned to him with a sly smile. "You were the scrawniest of the bunch." He pulled a face and she turned back to the front. The hat was placed on a bench and they all watched it expectantly. Finally, it started to sing.