"Merrick Ishtar." A nervous boy with long white colored hair walked and stood under the hat the fat professor was holding. After a minute or two, the hat yelled Gryffindor and the boy took his seat at the fourth table on the left.
" Malik Ishtar" A similar looking boy(?) walked up and stood under the hat as well. He was placed in Slytherin and walked to the opposite side of the room.
"Anita Longbottom." She went to Ravenclaw, the left center of the room.Then several more went to Gryffindor, including a girl by the name of Amanda Potter. Eight went to Hufflepuff, three more to Ravenclaw, five to Gryffindor, then it was Tom's turn to go.
"Tom Riddle." He walked up to the hat and stood under it. He felt it clench to his head and a voice began to whisper in his ears.
"What do you know, the heir of Slytherin is here again. But you're not a pureblood...you are a half-blood. Strange, how can I place you? All of the Slytherin have pureblood running through their veins...But...you are not a mudblood...so should I bend the rules? You are bright boy, you know how to close your thoughts to me, but relax. You can let me know what you are thinking...Slytherin is your preference I see...well then, you are the first halfblood heir to Slytherin I have ever seen, and I've been here centuries. To your ancestors house, SLYTHERIN!" The hat released Tom's head with a jerk, and he set off to his table. He was slightly disturbed at being the first halfblood to be in Slytherin, ever. But he accepted his fate with comfort at the time. Seymore, Rebeckah, and Sicilia all were placed in Slytherin as well. They all sat together, and they all seemed content, when the headmaster stood up.
"Welcome new students, welcome to Hogwarts. I am glad to see such a lively bunch of students. This year, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions teacher is Professor Jorkins. I hope you will welcome him as well as the new students. Also, we have a new Transfiguration teacher, Professor Dumbledore. I expect the same for him as I do the rest. Let the feast begin." Food filled the room, candied apples, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, turkey, barbequed hams, bananna pudding, yogurt, and much more.Storm mewed softly under Tom's table and he slipped her some chicken pieces. She rubbed up on his leg, and he smiled. Rebeckah was sitting next to him, and another small kitten hopped in her lap. It was a calico, her eyes were bright green and had a black patch on one half of her face, and a brown patch on the other. She was shiny clean and glimmered in the light. She was beautiful and resembled Beckah very greatly.
"Tom, this is Callie. She was born on Halloween. Isn't she pretty?"
"Sure...she is cute. This is Midnight Storm, but you can call her Storm. She isn't very social."
"Like you. But you are cute too. I love kittens, they are so inquisitive." Tom was blushing, he had never had anyone so complementing of him. Though he thought Beckah's hair was red, now it seemed to be a dusty black. She had green eyes, but they had a ring around the pupils that was blue, and the center, just after the black section, was an explosion of brown. They would suck you in, and Tom was caught staring.
"For someone who doesn't believe in love, you sure don't hide it well. You shouldn't stare. We should definately get to know each other first."
"I'm not staring! I was looking at your eyes. They are weird looking." She began to laugh a quiet but happy laugh. He was bright red, and Seymore immediately picked up on his friend's "slight" embarrassment.
"Well, well. Tom, it seems that you are hiding a few things from me. As your friend, you should really inform me of your problems. I mean, especially if you are going to change colors on me, now, don't you think a little enlightenment would be nice?" Tom didn't respond immediately, he was trying to figure out what this girl was doing to him. Was it some strange type of reverse psychology, or could he actually be in love? Wow, he was at a high stress level, and it seems that it was risking his sanity. He wanted to dissapear, but the two people who could tell what was going on were sitting right next to him. He was trapped, in his own mind...and he wanted to run away.
"Seymore..." Tom muttered, he was looking into his friends mind, deep into his mind, trying to see something he could relate to what he was feeling, anything in Seymore's head that could explain what Tom needed to say, without Beckah catching on. Then he found it. Sicilia. He almost laughed out loud, but he felt the same way about Beckah, so for once his friend had him beat.
"Sicilia, Seymore. That is what you need to know." Seymore turned bright red too, and he and Tom exchanged glances. They wanted to dissapear together now, but they had no place to go. They were trapped, locked in, and the two people they didn't want to catch on caught on very quickly. Fortunately, they felt the same way as well,so the rest of the meal was filled with crunching, breathing, and an occassional cough or sniffle. The Slytherin table could have passed for cheering for Gryffindor, the red faces of the four seemed to light up the room. The floating candles could all go out and the room would seem as daylight.
"Toran, look! Two little couples, all embarrassed because they are ashamed of their love for each other. Tsk tsk my friend. Maybe we should educate them on several "Love" factors?"
"Well, of course Manfred. Lucky dogs, these little people. All in the same house, they can get away with a lot. It seems they need to learn about the several secret ways to get to each others dorms. Then they can "socialize."
"Yes, that is an important task. We'll show you kids later. Be good now." And they walked off towards the Gryffindor table to talk to Arthur. Tom was no longer red, he had progressed to scarlet, then a maroon shade. He was ready to go to the common rooms. And, to his fortune, Dippet excused the group. They were sent to the rooms they wanted.
"Well, that was an interesting start Tom. What do you say we go to bed early?"
"NO! I have to go to the Library!"
"Imagine that. Why do you want to study so early?"
"I have to find out about the Chamber of Secrets. Hogwarts a History doesn't seem to have enough information for me. I need to see what I can learn about it. And where it is. They say it is simply a legend, but I believe it is much more than any trivial lie could even dream to grasp."
"Fine, we will go to the library, but do this one favor for me."
"What?"
"Realize you are eleven, not fifty. Grow down instead of grow up."
"...that...doesn't make sense, Seymore. Get a life."
"When you do, I will." Seymore smiled and walked towards the library. Tom ran up behind him confused and angry, but he didn't seem to notice. He just walked and looked at the statues and armor suits that decorated the hall. The walk was quiet, and the loudest sound was the panting of Tom trying to catch up with Seymore. The footsteps echoed through the hall, and the world seemed so peaceful. But their destination was far from a peaceful subject. They were trying to figure out what the world of evil could provide for them.
"Seymore! Tom! You two wait up!" A young girl's voice shouted behind them.
"Yeah! You two are in a crazy hurry to get into some type of trouble, aren't you?"
"Why are you two annoying people following us? We are going to study. Leave us alone."
"Well, excuse us, Mr. Seymore sir, we might be going to study as well. Or maybe we are trying to be a little bit social. But if it offends you, we might just leave and begin kissing the ground you walk on, because you obviously have a serious superiority complex, o wonderful Snape."
"You are really pushing your luck, Sicilia. How about you shutup."
"Hey! He remembered my name Beckah, I am honored. The holy Snape knows my name."
"You are so stupid Sicilia! Tom, what are you two going to study?"
"Not quite sure..." He looked down at his feet while Seymore and Sicilia gave each other putrid glares. Beckah just stood and waited for someone to speak. She was not about to fire up any tempers, there had already been enough of that gpoing on. It seemed that the entire hall had gone silent and a wasr was about to start. It was a pity, a deep pity. But they all seemed to move down the hall in an orderly fashion. When they reached the library, the tension was relieved.