"Er… what I meant was-" I said for the second time today, but was again cut off.
"However…" the man said quietly. "I am aware that you don't know these types of things in the wizarding world... but I'll advise you to think before speaking again, Miss Reyner." he continued, his voice slightly less stern, even some sympathy in his cold expression.
"Good evening, Headmaster." Professor McGonagall said pointedly, her eyes looking at me for a second... just to make sure I knew.
This was the Headmaster...
I'm making a great first impression here at Hogwarts... everyone's going to love me...
The Headmaster's gaze had shifted to the others, his expression changing back to what it had looked like as he entered the room... quiet and disappointed.
"Please explain why you did this," he said to Harry and Ron.
Harry went to explain everything to the professor, only leaving out the fact that Mr. Weasley had owned the car... probably to keep him out of trouble. When Harry had finished, the man only looked at us with his half-moon spectacles.
"We'll go and get our stuff, Professor Dumbledore." Ron said in a hopeless sort of voice.
"What are you talking about, Weasley?" snapped Professor McGonagall.
"Well you're expelling us... aren't you?" Ron said slowly.
I saw Harry's head whip around to look at Dumbledore.
"Not today, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. "But I must impress upon all of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to your families tonight. I will also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you."
Snape's eyes burned with anger and his glared even harder at Harry before turning to Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore, these students have caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree, and flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry-"
The what now?
"It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on these boys' punishments, Severus. They are in her House and therefore are her responsibility. However... these two haven't been sorted yet, so we'll have to see." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling slightly.
He held up something in his hand that I hadn't noticed before now. It was an old and brown hat with deep creases and wrinkles circling the fabric.
"Now... this is unconventional, but of course these are unconventional circumstances..." he stepped over to Ginny and I, his face drifting slightly from disappointment. "If I may, Miss Weasley." he said while placing the hat on her head. It feel below her eyes and sat there for a second.
Erm... what?
It had only been a moment, and I opened my mouth to ask what was going on when... "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted, opening a tear on it's brim that was apparently a mouth.
I jumped, completely thrown off guard, and accidentally pushed my chair back, toppling it over with me completely underneath it.
"Ow..." I said flatly.
Letting out a soft chuckle, Dumbledore looked slightly apologetic. "I may have forgotten to mention that the Sorting Hat will do that... my apologies."
I got up and pulled the chair with me, setting it back down then sitting in it again.
Okay... I'm seriously done with this not knowing what's going on... that was really embarrassing...
I looked over at Ginny to find Ron whispering congratulations to her.
"May I?" Dumbledore asked me, bringing my attention back to him.
I nodded... because what else was I supposed to do... and Dumbledore dropped the hat on my head. It fell over my eyes, sending me into complete darkness.
"Hmm," said a small voice in my ear. "Another late one..."
Erm... was that the hat?
"Yes, yes... now... let's see here. Ambition...yes... much of that. But plenty of courage as well..." the hat continued in a flat tone. "Ah... there's a thirst for power and recognition as well... "
Uh... what? Mr Sorting Hat thing... definitely not. I don't want power. Just... I don't know...
"Ah... I see..." the hat paused for a second, allowing me to think some more.
Do you know what House that Snape professor is in?
This is weird... thinking to a hat...
"Yes... Severus Snape... sorted into Slytherin." the hat replied in its small voice.
Okay... so please don't sort me into that House... he'll expel me as soon as you shout the name...
"Not Slytherin? I see. Well... your ambition is all here in your mind... you would do quite well there. However, if you're true to your thoughts... better be GRYFFINDOR!"
I heard the hat shout the last word out loud, and quickly took the hat off of my head, my eyebrows raised slightly.
That was probably the strangest thing I've ever done...
"Well then..." Dumbledore said, his stern expression fading even more. "Now that that's set I must go back to the feast... I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus... Minerva will get these students punishments set, seeing as they're all her responsibility now... there's a delicious looking custard tart I want to sample..."
With that Dumbledore turned and walked out of the office, Snape giving us all a look of pure venom before he followed. We were now alone with Professor McGonagall, who was still eyeing us like an eagle, her narrowed eyes looking at each of us in turn.
"You'd better get along to the hospital wing, Mr Weasley, you're bleeding." she said with the smallest amount of concern in her voice.
"Not much," Ron said while hastily rubbing at a cut above his eye.
McGonagall looked like she was about to reply when Harry cut in, earning him a narrowed eye glared.
Hey, it wasn't me this time!
"Professor, when we took the car, term hadn't started so... so Gryffindor shouldn't really have points taken from it... should it?" he asked, his eyes looking at the floor as he found himself under McGonagall's harsh look.
Erm... points? What is he talking about?
I shifted slightly to face McGonagall, and found that her expression had morphed slightly into something that almost resembled a smile. "I will not take any points from Gryffindor," she said calmly, her eyes fixing on me for a second. "But you will all get a detention."
Why is she looking at me? I've done the same things as Ginny, Harry, and Ron... unless you count whatever I was talking about when she walked in... then when Professor Dumbledore walked in...
However, it was better than I had expected. Based on the amount Harry and Ron had been concerned, I thought for sure we'd be expelled... but we weren't. So Ginny and I would actually get to start this school... instead of being expelled before we began.
I mean sure I made a terrible impression on some professors... but we all got away with only a detention which isn't bad at all!
Well it's not like I actually know how bad wizard detention is going to be...
...I mean it can't be much worse than normal detention was...
Not that I've ever been in detention!
...