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.Hagrids..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.wizard.s.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.new.And.Hogwarts.barely.started.The.founders.of.our.noble.school.Thought.never.to.be.parted:.United.by.a.common.goal,
They.had.the.selfsame.yearning,
To.make.the.world.s.best.magic.school
And.pass.along.their.learning.
.Together.we.will.build.and.teach!.
The.four.good.friends.decided
And.never.did.they.dream.that.they
Might.some.day.be.divided,
For.were.there.such.friends.anywhere
As.Slytherin.and.Gryffindor?
Unless.it.was.the.second.pair
Of.Hufflepuff.and.Ravenclaw?
So.how.could.it.have.gone.so.wrong?
How.could.such.friendships.fail?
Why,.I.was.there.and.so.can.tell
The.whole.sad,.sorry.tale.
Said.Slytherin,..We.ll.teach.just.those
Whose.ancestry.is.purest..
Said.Ravenclaw,..We.ll.teach.those.whose
Intelligence.is.surest..
Said.Gryffindor,..We.ll.teach.all.those