The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
�May I have your attention please?� Fudge said, standing up. Harry put his head down on the table. Whatever Fudge had to say, he didn�t want to hear it.
�I have some announcements to make,� Fudge continued, standing up. �Before I start, I should say something. We all come across out powers at different points of our lives, most by the age of eleven. However, sometimes a person�s powers may remain hidden for many years. We have come across such a person.
�Now, this boy will start in 5th year where he belongs. However, he will start with easier homework and work his way up, hopefully to the same level as his classmates. I ask you all to treat him the same as everyone else. That said, Minerva, please bring him in.�
Harry kept his head down. He didn�t care who the new student was. He heard the door bang as Professor McGonagall walked back in.
�Um, Harry,� Ron said, �you�d better look. You aren�t gonna believe this.�
Harry looked up and nearly fainted.
�May I introduce our new student....,� Fudge started but stopped when Harry jumped out of his seat.
�Dudley?� Harry said, hardly believing his eyes.
Fudge cleared his throat. �Yes,� he said obviously furious at the interruption, �Dudley Dursley.�
Dudley was standing in the middle of the hall looking positively horrified. Professor McGonagall left the hall briefly and returned with the Sorting Hat and a stool for Dudley to sit on.
�Come on,� Professor McGonagall said. �Don�t be shy. We need to sort you.�
Dudley walked forward slowly and sat on the stool, which creaked under his weight. Professor McGonagall dropped the hat onto his head.
Harry waited with the rest of the hall for the hat to decide. He wondered what house Dudley would be put in.
They only had to wait for a minute before the hat announced its decision.
�Slytherin!�
The hall was deathly silent. Then whispers broke out all over the room. Most had heard of the dreaded Dursleys and how they hated everything to do with magic. Besides, how could this Muggle-born boy end up in Slytherin anyway?
Professor McGonagall seemed to be thinking along the same lines. She picked up the hat and seemed to be checking for something wrong with it. She finally set it down but still looked very troubled.
�Right,� she said, looking at Dudley. �You�re table is over there.� She pointed to the Slytherin table.
Dudley�s face turned a sickly shade of green as he walked toward the Slytherin table. He took the only seat available, right across from Draco Malfoy.
�Okay, quiet down everyone,� Fudge over the whispers. �I still have two announcements left. First, the good news. Since it was such a success last year, I have decided to make the Yule Ball an annual event rather than just part of the Triwizard Tournament. It will also be open to students of all years.�
Fudge was cut off be a sudden buzz of excited chatter.
�Calm down, calm down,� he said. �I also have some bad news. I�m sure you�ve all heard about the recent murders. I wouldn�t worry if I was you. However, since Sirius Black has attacked the school before, I have been forced to put in new security. There will be dementors patrolling the hallways at night, so I suggest those who normally choose to break the rules reconsider this decision.�
Harry could see that Fudge was talking about him but he didn�t care. After the shock of seeing Dudley at Hogwarts wore off, Harry�s thoughts were back to Hermione.
�Dad�ll have a fit when he finds out about this,� Ron said, staring at Fudge with pure hatred. �He can�t stand dementors.�
�Harry,� Sheila said, �I thought you told us the Dursleys were Muggles. How�d their son get in Slytherin?�
�Who cares?� Ron asked. �He�s a stupid git. The Slytherins will walk all over him.�
�I wouldn�t be too sure about that,� Melissa said, pointing to the Slytherin table. Dudley�s shock seemed to have worn off. He was now talking to Malfoy and throwing evil looks at Harry.
Harry knew they were probably planning to do something horrible to him, but he didn�t care. Harry put his head on the table again and blocked out the voices around him.
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�Hey, you all right?� Ron asked, looking at Harry.
�Don�t bother him,� Melissa said, putting a hand on Harry�s shoulder. �He needs time with his thoughts.�
�You guys don�t even know what he�s depressed about!� Ron said.
�Hermione,� Sheila said shortly.
�It�s obvious,� Melissa said, seeing the surprised the surprised look on Ron�s face.
�What�s obvious?�
All three of them jumped as Icicle walked up behind Ron.
�Icicle,� Ron said, �where have you been? We�ve barely seen you since school started.�
�I�ve been over there,� Icicle said, looking confused. She pointed to the other end of the table where Hermione and Ginny were sitting.
�Oh, well that explains it.�
�Yeah, whatever. Fred and George send me down to tell Harry and Sheila that the first quidditch match is Saturday against Hufflepuff.�
�Message received,� Sheila said.
�Don�t they usually tell the captains about the games first?� Ron asked.
�Well...,� Icicle glanced at Harry to make sure he wasn�t listening, �the teachers have noticed how Harry�s acting. If they just told him he might not tell the rest of the team. So she told Fred. See ya around.� She walked back down the table and sat next to Hermione.
�Should we tell him?� Ron asked, looking at Harry.
�I�ll tell him tomorrow,� Sheila said. �Ain�t nothing gonna bring him out of that trance.�
�Let�s talk about something else,� Melissa said, smiling. �How �bout the Yule Ball?�
�Yeah,� Sheila said excitedly, �it�s gonna be the bombdiggityness!�
�The bomb-what-ness?� Ron asked.
�Don�t ask,� Melissa whispered.
�Well, I learned my lesson from last year,� Ron said. �I won�t wait �til the last minute to get a date this time.�
�Why?� Melissa asked. �Did you have to go alone?�
�No, I went with Padma Patil.�
�So, what�s the problem?� Sheila asked.
Ron looked down at the table. �Actually the only reason she went with me was because Parvati went with Harry and he asked if she knew anyone who�d go with me.�
�Ouch,� Sheila said. �Why don�t ya ask Padma again?�
�No way!� Ron said, horrified. �She hates me now!�
�That�s a problem,� Melissa said. �Don�t worry. You�ll find someone who can stand you.�
�Yeah, thanks,� Ron said sarcastically. �I�m going upstairs. Can you guys bring him up when you finish?� He pointed to Harry who still had his head on the table and didn�t seem to hear anything they said.
�Sure,� Melissa said. �We�ll be up in a bit.�
Ron left the hall, still thinking about the Yule Ball. But it wasn�t himself he was worried about. It was Harry.
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