Chapter 21
"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
"Thank you!"
He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered.
Ryan: "showoff."
The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, general tsos, pizza, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. He looked over to see Luna taking the whole pudding dish and digging right in with a jubilant smile on her face she looked like a squirrel with her cheeks puffed up with pudding.
"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak.
"Can't you --?"
"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."
"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you -- you're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -- " but sadly Hermione interrupted.
"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"
Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck.
Ryan: " have you ever tried to i don't know maybe pull it the rest of the way off?"
Nick:"well ofco...." he stopped and his eyes widened and he lifted his hands to his head and just yanked.
*SQUELCH* It came off completely
nick with his head in his hands turned slowly towards Ryan and said "why have I never thought of that in all these years?"
"no common sense" he replied
nick suddenly started laughing like he got a new lease on life and quickly flew away flying awkwardly with his new view ghosting through people and making them s.h.i.+ver.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, pudding... Luna was fit to burst she gets pudding for both dinner and dessert it's was like she won the lottery I didn't even see her hands move and all the pudding in a 3 meter radius was gone.The others laughed As Ryan helped himself to the legendary treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.Well, my gran brought me
"Ahem -- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."
Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins."Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
Ryan always wondered why he would say these things in a school full of curious children it just seems like asking for trouble.
"and now everyone it's time for bed off you trot"
The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Ryan's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they pa.s.sed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Ryan was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.
Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves -- show yourself."
A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered. ah my next partner in crime I'll have to bribe him maybe with some dung bombs I need a little bit of chaos.
There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.
"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.
"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.
Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he pa.s.sed.You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The b.l.o.o.d.y Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."
At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
"Pa.s.sword?" she said. Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it -- Neville needed a leg up -- and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.
Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase -- they were obviously in one of the towers -- they found their beds at last: four four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Ryan quickly took his off his necklace and enlarged it getting a wide eyed response from the other Boys in the room he set it upright and applied a sticking charm to it on the floor next to his bed quickly taking out some shorts and a t s.h.i.+rt to sleep in. "woah!" yelled Ron "do you know how much those things cost?" Ryan "a couple hundred thousands in galleons" Ron looked absolutely petrified he quickly asked "how did you get so much?" my reply? "birthday cards also I'd advise not to touch it without my permission it can give a really nasty shock" the same scene can almost be seen playing out between Luna and Daphne with Luna explaining it was a gift from Ryan paving Daphne in a daze and Hermione asking a million questions Luna had been warned not to tell her about the linked part as she was a tattle tale and Luna absolutely didn't want her trunk taken by the professor so she locked that away in her heart and explained most of everything else.
Ryan quickly said goodnight to the other boys and walked into his trunk apartment under the astonished gazes of the other and Harrys muttered whisper "I need to get one of those...." reaffirming Ryan needing to get him one for Christmas. as he was thinking about a mobile green house for Neville that boy needed something nice he slipped into bed and turned on his TV setting up planet earth on Netflix and slowly drifting off only to feel someone slide in beside him and cuddle him he knew only Luna could get in so they hugged and drifted off to sleep together with the relaxing doc.u.mentary in the background.