Bad Reputation

Chapter 5

Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. signalling the sorting as officially over. the headmaster Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students,his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there."Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"Thank you!"He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered.

"well that was interesting" Rigel said to Ron while giggling. Suddenly The dishes in front of him were now piled withfood. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table:roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon And steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding,peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, pepperminthumbugs. Rigel began to fill his plate.m "you'll never be able to eat all that" Hermione said to him as she saw the full plate. "hey im a growing boy" Rigel said as he began to eat the food on his plate.

"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak,"Can't you? I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower.""I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you-- you're Nearly Headless Nick!""I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy --" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted."Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted."Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces. Rigel dropped his fork. "thanks for that seamus" Rigel said

Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said,"So new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable he's the Slytherin ghost."

Rigel looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements."How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest."I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately. "it probably happened before he died "Rigel said.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor youcould think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding. riguel rubbed his stomach. "told you you shouldn't have eaten so much" Hermione said to Rigel who felt full with all the food digesting in it. "no. i told you sos." he said. as he grabbed a bowl of mint choc late chip ice cream and added chocolate sauce to it.

"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."The others laughed."What about you, Neville?" said Ron."Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me -- he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced -- all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad." he said.

"what about you Lestrange" Seamus asked. "im pure blood every member of my family is magical but my mums family took it to far they married cousins and my aunt was disowned for marrying a muggle born wizard" Rigel said. Hermione gasped. "thats horrible" she said. Riguel nodded. " my family is pretty messed up. "ill say that Lestrange" Neville said glaring at him. Rigel sighed. "im going to the bathroom he said to Ron as he got up and left the great hall.

Rigel didn't know where he was going but he finally found the boys bathroom and went inside. and for the first time that night he allowed a tear to escape his eyes and before he knew it his cheeks were covered in them and he couldn't stop. when Rigel was able to stop crying he went back to the Great hall i time to everyone leaving. "Lestrange where were you" Percy asked with a strict tone of voice. " i was at the toilet" he said looking away. "your lucky i was just about to lead you all to the common room stand next to longbottom" he said. Rigel slowly stood next to Neville who appeared to be ignoring his presence.

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy up the marble staircase. Rigel began to feel exhausted. filled wit food and exhausted from the trip to the castle. Rigel was so tired he barley payed any atention to the talking portraits.

They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Rigel was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him."Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raisedhis voice, "Peeves show yourself"A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered."Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a widemouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walkingsticks."Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked."Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head making Rigel step back to avoid being hit by the falling pieces of wood.. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor ashe passed."You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again."The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in apink silk dress."Password?" she said. "Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portraitswung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambledthrough it Neville needed a leg up and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and theboys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase. they were obviously in one of the towers they found their beds at last: five -posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks hadalready been brought up. Too tired to talk much. as soon as Rigel got changed he collapsed onto his bed not even bothering to pull the covers over him. Ron smiled and put the covers over the sleeping boy. "why are you so nice to him" Neville asked him.

"hes my friend" Ron said. "hes a Lestrange" Neville argued back. "hes not like the others hes kind caring and funny" Ron said smiling at sleeping Lestrange. "THERE ALL THE SAME. THEIR VILE, EVIL CRAZY, AND CRUEL" Neville shouted as tears fell down his fat cheeks. dean took Neville back over to his bed. " hes not" Ron said looking at Rigel.

what they didn't know was that Rigel was just awake enough to hear every word and what Ron said brought a smile to his face. it wasn't long before Sleep consumed Rigel with curiosity about what his first year at Hogwarts would be like.