The Sorting Hat's song this year seemed normal enough at first --
a dozen verses or so telling the story of the founding of
Hogwarts, another dozen describing the Founders themselves and
what they looked for in students, a bit more about the Houses.
And then it got ... different.
"Oh, know the perils, read the signs," the Hat sang as it drew to
a close.
"The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes.
Beyond them far, though, can be found
Both hope and allies great
And ordered chaos comes to change
What might have been our fate
Though strong and wise, such friends as these
Who're called on in the night
Cannot alone stand forth and hold
Our Hogwarts in the light
Attend their words and learn them well
And by their side then stand
The music of the madness then
Puts power in your hand
Unite with them for Hogwarts' sake
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
Let the Sorting now begin."
The Sorting Hat then went still. The Hall burst into applause
leavened with whispers and muttered discussions about the Hat's
strange warning.
Her heart pounding a mile a minute, Hermione looked down the
Gryffindor table to find Ginny looking back up at her with wide,
surprised eyes that Hermione was sure matched her own expression.
As Ron turned to Harry and said, "Branched out a bit this year,
hasn't it?", Hermione slowly mouthed "friends who're called on in
the night" to the younger girl. Biting her lip, Ginny slowly
nodded.
"Too right it has," Harry replied as she and Ginny continued to
stare at each other, the same thought running through their
heads: had their midnight ritual all those weeks ago been more
successful than they had thought?
"Tonight," Hermione mouthed, and Ginny nodded again.
* * *
I managed to suppress my start of surprise when the Sorting Hat
sang out the line about "the music of the madness". Although I
spell my codename "Toons" instead of "Tunes" to avoid trademark
issues with Warner Brothers, it's pretty obvious what my intent
was and is. Further, the translation that the Japanese of my
Earth use instead of lowering themselves to speak English --
*Kyoki no Kyoku* -- doesn't beat around the bush: it literally
back-translates into "Tunes of Madness".
(I suppose it should go without saying that the very rigid and
orderly, not to mention xenophobic, Japanese of my home timeline
find my metatalent frighteningly and disturbingly chaotic, almost
borderline demonic -- the antithesis of everything they believe
about the way the world works. Which was one reason that even as
a rookie I was never assigned to Beta Team in Tokyo.
The other being that Hexe and Dwimanor didn't want their brand-
new loose cannon that far out of their sight.)
Anyway, if there was one thing I was intending on doing with my
classes, it was putting as much power in my students' hands as I
could.
So the Hat was obviously -- well, obviously to me (and, no doubt,
Albus) -- referring to yours truly. I suppose it might have
pulled the info it needed for the song from my mind while it was
sitting on my head. As far as I could tell, though, it hadn't
attempted to breach the mental defenses which Psyche had
painstakingly drilled into my thick skull during my first few
months with the Warriors. (And thanks to him, I've been able to
detect, and repel, some fairly subtle telepaths over the years.)
So... was it prophecy? Having been a houseguest of the Norns for
a year or so, I wasn't about to discount the possibility.
And I have to admit I was curious about what "strong and wise"
friends had been called on in the night, and by whom. Because it
certainly wasn't me, on either end of that equation. And I
wanted to know if it was something that had happened already, or
something yet to come.
After all, if they were prophesied allies, I wanted to identify
and approach them as soon as I could.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
a dozen verses or so telling the story of the founding of
Hogwarts, another dozen describing the Founders themselves and
what they looked for in students, a bit more about the Houses.
And then it got ... different.
"Oh, know the perils, read the signs," the Hat sang as it drew to
a close.
"The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes.
Beyond them far, though, can be found
Both hope and allies great
And ordered chaos comes to change
What might have been our fate
Though strong and wise, such friends as these
Who're called on in the night
Cannot alone stand forth and hold
Our Hogwarts in the light
Attend their words and learn them well
And by their side then stand
The music of the madness then
Puts power in your hand
Unite with them for Hogwarts' sake
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
Let the Sorting now begin."
The Sorting Hat then went still. The Hall burst into applause
leavened with whispers and muttered discussions about the Hat's
strange warning.
Her heart pounding a mile a minute, Hermione looked down the
Gryffindor table to find Ginny looking back up at her with wide,
surprised eyes that Hermione was sure matched her own expression.
As Ron turned to Harry and said, "Branched out a bit this year,
hasn't it?", Hermione slowly mouthed "friends who're called on in
the night" to the younger girl. Biting her lip, Ginny slowly
nodded.
"Too right it has," Harry replied as she and Ginny continued to
stare at each other, the same thought running through their
heads: had their midnight ritual all those weeks ago been more
successful than they had thought?
"Tonight," Hermione mouthed, and Ginny nodded again.
* * *
I managed to suppress my start of surprise when the Sorting Hat
sang out the line about "the music of the madness". Although I
spell my codename "Toons" instead of "Tunes" to avoid trademark
issues with Warner Brothers, it's pretty obvious what my intent
was and is. Further, the translation that the Japanese of my
Earth use instead of lowering themselves to speak English --
*Kyoki no Kyoku* -- doesn't beat around the bush: it literally
back-translates into "Tunes of Madness".
(I suppose it should go without saying that the very rigid and
orderly, not to mention xenophobic, Japanese of my home timeline
find my metatalent frighteningly and disturbingly chaotic, almost
borderline demonic -- the antithesis of everything they believe
about the way the world works. Which was one reason that even as
a rookie I was never assigned to Beta Team in Tokyo.
The other being that Hexe and Dwimanor didn't want their brand-
new loose cannon that far out of their sight.)
Anyway, if there was one thing I was intending on doing with my
classes, it was putting as much power in my students' hands as I
could.
So the Hat was obviously -- well, obviously to me (and, no doubt,
Albus) -- referring to yours truly. I suppose it might have
pulled the info it needed for the song from my mind while it was
sitting on my head. As far as I could tell, though, it hadn't
attempted to breach the mental defenses which Psyche had
painstakingly drilled into my thick skull during my first few
months with the Warriors. (And thanks to him, I've been able to
detect, and repel, some fairly subtle telepaths over the years.)
So... was it prophecy? Having been a houseguest of the Norns for
a year or so, I wasn't about to discount the possibility.
And I have to admit I was curious about what "strong and wise"
friends had been called on in the night, and by whom. Because it
certainly wasn't me, on either end of that equation. And I
wanted to know if it was something that had happened already, or
something yet to come.
After all, if they were prophesied allies, I wanted to identify
and approach them as soon as I could.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.