❝Jinxed by a Crazy love ❞ || HP

Chapter 16: The Toad Woman

The Hogwarts castle looked unusually pretty to look at from the carriages. It was Y/n's first time in it. She looked at Dennis Creevey sitting in a seat across from her. He was dumbstruck. He turned and waved at the next carriage, at his brother. Natalie McDonald, sitting beside her was having her hand rested in her chin, simply uninterested in her second year. Y/n crossed her fingers hoping for her second year to go on well. 

  As Y/n made her way into the great hall, She scanned the professors table to find their new dark arts professor. She looked at a woman, somebody's maiden aunt: squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes. Then she turned her face slightly to take a sip from her goblet and he saw, with a shock of recognition, a pallid, toad-like face and a pair of prominent, pouchy eyes.

'It's that Umbridge woman!', Harry said. Y/n collected her thoughts.

'The Who?' said Hermione.

"She was at my hearing, she works for Fudge!" "Nice cardigan," said Ron, smirking. "She works for Fudge?" Hermione repeated, frowning. "What on earth's she doing here, then?" "Dunno . . ." Hermione scanned the staff table, her eyes narrowed. "No," she muttered, "no, surely not . . ." 

She went and sat beside Ginny and Hermione, across from Harry and Ron. Prof. McGonagall took the three legged stool and the sorting hat hurriedly, as Dumbledore stood up to speak.

'There will be a new student, joining the fourth year', he said. 'Please welcome, Rigel Black!'

The doors of the great hall swung open as Rigel entered, followed by a queue of first years. His eyes seemed to search for someone. None other than Ginny. He waved at her slightly. 

'My brother is forgetting me... how sad...', Y/n mocked.

'shut it!', Ginny said.

The sorting hat broke into a song. 

".....And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within.
I have told you, I have warned you
. . . .Let the Sorting now begin"

'Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?' said Ron, his eyebrows raised.

'Too right it has,' said Harry.Harry could not remember it ever trying to give the school advice before.

'I wonder if it's ever given warnings before?' said Hermione, sounding slightly anxious.

'Yes, indeed,' said Nearly Headless Nick knowledgeably,"The hat feels its honor-boundto give the school a warning whenever it feels —'

Professor McGonagall who was waiting to read out the list of first years' names, was giving the whispering students the sort of look that scorches. Nearly Headless Nick, zoomed up.

'Black, Rigel'

'Please be Gryffindor, Gryffindor!', Y/n heard Ginny mutter under her breath.

The sorting hat barely touched his head as it yelled,

'HUFFLEPUFF!'

Ginny's face was ghosted, and her eyes were teary. Y/n couldn't control her laugh. Rigel didn't straightly get to the hufflepuff table. He walked to the Gryffindor table.

'Rigel is coming, Gin'

Ginny made space for Rigel.He sat between Ginny and Y/n. 

'I'm not leaving you so soon', he said as he wiped Ginny's tears. Hermione, Ron, Harry and Y/n exchanged knowing looks.