According to the magazine, if you turned the runes on their heads they revealed a spell to make your enemy's ears turn into kumquats. In fact, compared to the rest of the articles in The Quibbler, the suggestion that Sirius might really be the lead singer of The Hobgoblins was quite sensible. Anything good in there? ' asked Ron as Harry closed the magazine. Of course not,' said Hermione scathingly, before Harry could answer. The Quibbler's rubbish, everyone knows that. 'Excuse me,' said Luna; her voice had suddenly lost its dreamy quality. My father's the editor. 'I-oh,' said Hermione, looking embarrassed. Well . . . it's got some interesting . . . I mean, it's quite. . . 'I'll have it back, thank you,' said Luna coldly, and leaning forwards she snatched it out of Harry's hands. Riffling through it to page fifty-seven, she turned it resolutely upside-down again and disappeared behind it, just as the compartment door opened for the third time. Harry looked around; he had expected this, but that did not make the sight of Draco Malfoy smirking at him from between his cronies Crabbe and Goyle any more enjoyable. What? ' he said aggressively, before Malfoy could open his mouth. Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention,' drawled Malfoy, whose sleek blond hair and pointed chin were just like his father's. You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments. 'Yeah,' said Harry, but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone. 'Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville laughed. Malfoy's lip curled. Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter? ' he asked. Shut up, Malfoy,' said Hermione sharply. I seem to have touched a nerve,' said Malfoy, smirking. Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line. 'Get out! ' said Hermione, standing up. Sniggering, Malfoy gave Harry a last malicious look and departed, with Crabbe and Goyle lumbering along in his wake. Hermione slammed the compartment door behind them and turned to look at Harry, who knew at once that she, like him, had registered what Malfoy had said and been just as unnerved by it. Chuck us another Frog,' said Ron, who had clearly noticed nothing. Harry could not talk freely in front of Neville and Luna. He exchanged another nervous look with Hermione, then stared out of the window. He had thought Sirius coming with him to the station was a bit of a laugh, but suddenly it seemed reckless, if not downright dangerous. . . . Hermione had been right. . . . Sirius should not have come. What if Mr. Malfoy had noticed the black dog and told Draco? What if he had deduced that the Weasleys, Lupin, Tonks and Moody knew where Sirius was hiding? Or had Malfoy's use of the word dogging' been a coincidence? The weather remained undecided as they travelled farther and farther north. Rain spattered the windows in a half-hearted way, then the sun put in a feeble appearance before clouds drifted over it once more. When darkness fell and lamps came on inside the carriages, Luna rolled up The Quibbler, put it carefully away in her bag and took to staring at everyone in the compartment instead. Harry was sitting with his forehead pressed against the train window, trying to get a first distant glimpse of Hogwarts, but it was a moonless night and the rain-streaked window was grimy. We'd better change,' said Hermione at last, and all of them opened their trunks with difficulty and pulled on their school robes. She and Ron pinned their prefect badges carefully to their chests. Harry saw Ron checking his reflection in the black window. At last, the train began to slow down and they heard the usual racket up and down it as everybody scrambled to get their luggage and pets assembled, ready for departure. Ron and Hermione were supposed to supervise all this; they disappeared from the carriage again, leaving Harry and the others to look after Crookshanks and Pigwidgeon. I'll carry that owl, if you like,' said Luna to Harry, reaching out for Pigwidgeon as Neville stowed Trevor carefully in an inside pocket. Oh-er-thanks,' said Harry, handing her the cage and hoisting Hedwig's more securely into his arms. They shuffled out of the compartment feeling the first sting of the night air on their faces as they joined the crowd in the corridor. Slowly, they moved towards the doors. Harry could smell the pine trees that lined the path down to the lake. He stepped down on to the platform and looked around, listening for the familiar call of firs' years over ere . . . firs' years. . . 'But it did not come. Instead, a quite different voice, a brisk female one, was calling out, First years line up over here, please! All first years to me! 'A lantern came swinging towards Harry and by its light he saw the prominent chin and severe haircut of Professor Grubbly-Plank, the witch who had taken over Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lessons for a while the previous year. Where's Hagrid? ' he said out loud. I don't know,' said Ginny, but we'd better get out of the way, we're blocking the door. 'Oh, yeah. . . 'Harry and Ginny became separated as they moved off along the platform and out through the station. Jostled by the crowd, Harry squinted through the darkness for a glimpse of Hagrid; he had to be here, Harry had been relying on it-seeing Hagrid again was one of the things he'd been looking forward to most. But there was no sign of him. He can't have left, Harry told himself as he shuffled slowly through a narrow doorway on to the road outside with the rest of the crowd. He's just got a cold or something. . . . He looked around for Ron or Hermione, wanting to know what they thought about the reappearance of Professor Grubbly-Plank, but neither of them was anywhere near him, so he allowed himself to be shunted forward onto the dark rain-washed road outside Hogsmeade Station. Here stood the hundred or so horseless stagecoaches that always took the students above first year up to the castle. Harry glanced quickly at them, turned away to keep a lookout for Ron and Hermione, then did a double-take. The coaches were no longer horseless. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts. If he had had to give them a name, he supposed he would have called them horses, though there was something reptilian about them, too. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither-vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Standing still and quiet in the gathering gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister. Harry could not understand why the coaches were being pulled by these horrible horses when they were quite capable of moving along by themselves. Where's Pig? ' said Ron's voice, right behind Harry. That Luna girl was carrying him,' said Harry, turning quickly, eager to consult Ron about Hagrid. Where d'you reckon-'-Hagrid is? I dunno,' said Ron, sounding worried. He'd better be okay. . . . 'A short distance away, Draco Malfoy, followed by a small gang of cronies including Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson, was pushing some timid-looking second-years out of the way so that he and his friends could get a coach to themselves. Seconds later, Hermione emerged panting from the crowd. Malfoy was being absolutely foul to a first-year back there. I swear I'm going to report him, he's only had his badge three minutes and he's using it to bully people worse than ever. . . . Where's Crookshanks? 'Ginny's got him,' said Harry. There he is. . . . 'Ginny had just emerged from the crowd, clutching a squirming Crookshanks. Thanks,' said Hermione, relieving Ginny of the cat. Come on, let's get a carriage together before they all fill up. . . . 'I haven't got Pig yet! ' Ron said, but Hermione was already heading off towards the nearest unoccupied coach. Harry remained behind with Ron. What are those things, d'you reckon? ' he asked Ron, nodding at the horrible horses as the other students surged past them. What things? 'Those horse-'Luna appeared holding Pigwidgeon's cage in her arms; the tiny owl was twittering excitedly as usual. Here you are,' she said. He's a sweet little owl, isn't he? 'Er . . . yeah . . . he's all right,' said Ron gruffly. Well, come on then, let's get in. . . . What were you saying, Harry? 'I was saying, what are those horse things? ' Harry said, as he, Ron, and Luna made for the carriage in which Hermione and Ginny were already sitting. What horse things? 'The horse things pulling the carriages! ' said Harry impatiently. They were, after all, about three feet from the nearest one; it was watching them with empty white eyes. Ron, however, gave Harry a perplexed look. What are you talking about? 'I'm talking about-look! 'Harry grabbed Ron's arm and wheeled him about so that he was face to face with the winged horse. Ron stared straight at it for a second, then looked back at Harry. What am I supposed to be looking at? 'At the-there, between the shafts! Harnessed to the coach! It's right there in front-'But as Ron continued to look bemused, a strange thought occurred to Harry. Can't . . . can't you see them? 'See what? 'Can't you see what's pulling the carriages? 'Ron looked seriously alarmed now. Are you feeling all right, Harry? 'I . . . yeah. . . 'Harry felt utterly bewildered. The horse was there in front of him, gleaming solidly in the dim light issuing from the station windows behind them, vapour rising from its nostrils in the chilly night air. Yet, unless Ron was faking-and it was a very feeble joke if he was-Ron could not see it at all. Shall we get in, then? ' said Ron uncertainly, looking at Harry as though worried about him. Yeah,' said Harry. Yeah, go on. . . 'It's all right,' said a dreamy voice from beside Harry as Ron vanished into the coach's dark interior. You're not going mad or anything. I can see them, too. 'Can you? ' said Harry desperately, turning to Luna. He could see the bat-winged horses reflected in her wide silvery eyes. Oh, yes,' said Luna, I've been able to see them ever since my first day here. They've always pulled the carriages. Don't worry. You're just as sane as I am. 'Smiling faintly, she climbed into the musty interior of the carriage after Ron. Not altogether reassured, Harry followed her. J. K. RowlingHarry Potter&The Order of the Phoenix . . . . Lionfish 11/Nov/2007 Chapter Eleven The Sorting Hat's New SongContents Prev Chapter Next Chapter . Harry did not want to tell the others that he and Luna were having the same hallucination, if that was what it was, so he said nothing more about the horses as he sat down inside the carriage and slammed the door behind him. Nevertheless, he could not help watching the silhouettes of the horses moving beyond the window. Did everyone see that Grubbly-Plank woman? ' asked Ginny. What's she doing back here? Hagrid can't have left, can he? 'I'll be quite glad if he has,' said Luna, he isn't a very good teacher, is he? 'Yes, he is! ' said Harry, Ron and Ginny angrily. Harry glared at Hermione. She cleared her throat and quickly said, Erm . . . yes . . . he's very good. 'Well, we in Ravenclaw think he's a bit of a joke,' said Luna, unfazed. You've got a rubbish sense of humour then,' Ron snapped, as the wheels below them creaked into motion. Luna did not seem perturbed by Ron's rudeness; on the contrary, she simply watched him for a while as though he were a mildly interesting television programme. Rattling and swaying, the carriages moved in convoy up the road. When they passed between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars on either side of the gates to the school grounds, Harry leaned forwards to try and see whether there were any lights on in Hagrid's cabin by the Forbidden Forest, but the grounds were in complete darkness. Hogwarts Castle, however, loomed ever closer: a towering mass of turrets, jet black against the dark sky, here and there a window blazing fiery bright above them. The carriages jingled to a halt near the stone steps leading up to the oak front doors and Harry got out of the carriage first. He turned again to look for lit windows down by the Forest, but there was definitely no sign of life within Hagrid's cabin. Unwillingly, because he had half-hoped they would have vanished, he turned his eyes instead upon the strange, skeletal creatures standing quietly in the chill night air, their blank white eyes gleaming. Harry had once before had the experience of seeing something that Ron could not, but that had been a reflection in a mirror, something much more insubstantial than a hundred very solid-looking beasts strong enough to pull a fleet of carriages. If Luna was to be believed, the beasts had always been there but invisible. Why, then, could Harry suddenly see them, and why could Ron not? Are you coming or what? ' said Ron beside him. Oh . . . yeah,' said Harry quickly and they joined the crowd hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. The Entrance Hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the double doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast. The four long house tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the starless black ceiling, which was just like the sky they could glimpse through the high windows. Candles floated in midair all along the tables, illuminating the silvery ghosts who were dotted about the Hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other houses, eyeing one another's new haircuts and robes.Again, Harry noticed people putting their heads together to whisper as he passed; he gritted his teeth and tried to act as though he neither noticed nor cared. Luna drifted away from them at the Ravenclaw table. The moment they reached Gryffindor's, Ginny was hailed by some fellow fourth-years and left to sit with them; Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville found seats together about halfway down the table between Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost, and Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, the last two of whom gave Harry airy, overly-friendly greetings that made him quite sure they had stopped talking about him a split second before. He had more important things to worry about, however: he was looking over the students' heads to the staff table that ran along the top wall of the Hall. He's not there. 'Ron and Hermione scanned the staff table too, though there was no real need; Hagrid's size made him instantly obvious in any lineup. He can't have left,' said Ron, sounding slightly anxious. Of course he hasn't,' said Harry firmly. You don't think he's . . . hurt, or anything, do you? ' said Hermione uneasily. No,' said Harry at once. But where is he, then? 'There was a pause, then Harry said very quietly, so that Neville, Parvati and Lavender could not hear, Maybe he's not back yet. You know-from his mission-the thing he was doing over the summer for Dumbledore. 'Yeah . . . yeah, that'll be it,' said Ron, sounding reassured, but Hermione bit her lip, looking up and down the staff table as thogh hoping for some conclusive explanation of Hagrid's absence. Who's that? ' she said sharply, pointing towards the middle of the staff table. Harry's eyes followed hers. They lit first upon Professor Dumbledore, sitting in his high-backed golden chair at the centre of the long staff table, wearing deep-purple robes scattered with silvery stars and a matching hat. Dumbledore's head was inclined towards the woman sitting next to him, who was talking into his ear. She looked, Harry thought, like 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, toadlike face and a pair of prominent, pouchy eyes. It's that Umbridge woman! '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 . . . 'Harry did not understand what she was talking about but did not ask; his attention had been caught by Professor Grubbly-Plank who had just appeared behind the staff table; she worked her way along to the very end and took the seat that ought to have been Hagrid's. That meant the first-years must have crossed the lake and reached the castle, and sure enough, a few seconds later, the doors from the Entrance Hall opened. A long line of scared-looking first-years entered, led by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizards hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim. The buzz of talk in the Great Hall faded away. The first-years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students, and Professor McGonagall placed the stool carefully in front of them, then stood back. The first-years' faces glowed palely in the candlelight. A small boy right in the middle of the row looked as though he was trembling. Harry recalled, fleetingly, how terrified he had felt when he had stood there, waiting for the unknown test that would determine to which house he belonged. The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song:In times of old when I was newAnd Hogwarts barely startedThe founders of our noble schoolThought never to be parted:United by a common goal,They had the selfsame yearning,To make the world's best magic schoolAnd pass along their learning. Together we will build and teach! 'The four good friends decidedAnd never did they dream that theyMight some day be divided,For were there such friends anywhereAs Slytherin and Gryffindor? Unless it was the second pairOf Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw? So how could it have gone so wrong? How could such friendships fail? Why, I was there and so can tellThe whole sad, sorry tale. Said Slytherin, We'll teach just thoseWhose ancestry is purest. 'Said Ravenclaw, We'll teach those whoseIntelligence is surest. 'Said Gryffindor, We'll teach all thoseWith brave deeds to their name, 'Said Hufflepuff, I'll teach the lot,And treat them just the same. 'These differences caused little strifeWhen first they came to light,For each of the four founders hadA house in which they mightTake only those they wanted, so,For instance, SlytherinTook only pure-blood wizardsOf great cunning, just like him,And only those of sharpest mindWere taught by RavenclawWhile the bravest and the boldestWent to daring Gryffindor. Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,And taught them all she knew,Thus the houses and their foundersRetained friendships firm and true. So Hogwarts worked in harmonyFor several happy years,But then discord crept among usFeeding on our faults and fears. The houses that, like pillars four,Had once held up our school,Now turned upon each other and,Divided, sought to rule. And for a while it seemed the schoolMust meet an early end,What with duelling and with fightingAnd the clash of friend on friendAnd at last there came c morningWhen old Slytherin departedAnd though the fighting then died outHe left us quite downhearted. And never since the founders fourWere whittled down to threeHave the houses been unitedAs they once were meant to be. And now the Sorting Hat is hereAnd you all know the score:I sort you into housesBecause that is what I'm for,But this year I'll go further,Listen closely to my song:Though condemned I am to split youStill I worry that it's wrong,Though I must fulfil my dutyAnd must quarter every yearStill I wonder whether SortingMay not bring the end I fear. Oh, know the perils, read the signs,The warning history shows,For our Hogwarts is in dangerFrom external, deadly foesAnd we must unite inside herOr we'll crumble from withinI have told you, I have warned you . . . Let the Sorting now begin. The Hat became motionless once more; applause broke out, though it was punctured, for the first time in Harry's memory, with muttering and whispers. All across the Great Hall students were exchanging remarks with their neighbours, and Harry, clapping along with everyone else, knew exactly what they were talking about. Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it? ' said Ron, his eyebrows raised. Too right it has,' said Harry. The Sorting Hat usually confined itself to describing the different qualities looked for by each of the four Hogwarts houses and its own role in Sorting them. 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, leaning across Neville towards her (Neville winced; it was very uncomfortable to have a ghost lean through you). The Hat feels itself honour-bound to give the school due warning whenever it feels-'But 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 placed a see-through finger to his lips and sat primly upright again as the muttering came to an abrupt end. With a last frowning look that swept the lour house tables, Professor McGonagall lowered her eyes to her long piece of parchment and called out the first name. Abercrombie, Euan. 'The terrified-looking boy Harry had noticed earlier stumbled forwards and put the Hat on his head; it was only prevented from falling right down to his shoulders by his very prominent ears. The Hat considered for a moment, then the rip near the brim opened again and shouted:Gryffindor! 'Harry clapped loudly with the rest of Gryffindor house as Euan Abercrombie staggered to their table and sat down, looking as though he would like very much to sink through the floor and never be looked at again. Slowly, the long line of first-years thinned. In the pauses between the names and the Sorting Hat's decisions, Harry could hear Ron's stomach rumbling loudly.Finally, Zeller, Rose' was Sorted into Hufflepuff, and Professor McGonagall picked up the Hat and stool and marched them away as Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet. Whatever his recent bitter feelings had been towards his Headmaster, Harry was somehow soothed to see Dumbledore standing before them all. Between the absence of Hagrid and the presence of those dragonish horses, he had felt that his return to Hogwarts, so long anticipated, was full of unexpected surprises, like jarring notes in a familiar song. But this, at least, was how it was supposed to be: their Headmaster rising to greet them all before the start-of-term feast. To our newcomers,' said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile n his lips, welcome! To our old hands-welcome back! There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. Tuck in! 'There was an appreciative laugh and an outbreak of applause as Dumbledore sat down neatly and threw his long beard over his shoulder so as to keep it out of the way of his plate-for food had appeared out of nowhere, so that the five long tables were groaning under joints and pies and dishes of vegetables, bread and sauces and flagons of pumpkin juice. Excellent,' said Ron, with a kind of groan of longing, and he seized the nearest plate of chops and began piling them on to his plate, watched wistfully by Nearly Headless Nick.What were you saying before the Sorting? ' Hermione asked the ghost. About the Hat giving warnings? 'Oh, yes,' said Nick, who seemed glad of a reason to turn away from Ron, who was now eating roast potatoes with almost indecent enthusiasm.