Contort

"Bloody hell," Ron Weasley's voice quaked, "It's her."

With a hand against his vibrating chest, Ron rotated himself in the direction she was walking.

His vision blurred and the room began to spin. It's her. It's her. Her.

SEVERUS Snape sat at the head table, overlooking the scene before him. Confidence replaced the uneasy edge he'd been standing on the past twenty-four hours. As Karas finished her stride into the Great Hall and met at Albus Dumbledore's side, her gaze met his momentarily. Snape's lip twitched in a pleasing manner and he averted his gaze to Ronald Weasley. The buffoon was practically bathing in his own drool. Snape adjusted his seating and looked to the ground, hiding his amused expression.

"Miss Haylett," Dumbledore ushered, "Please take a seat so you can be sorted."

Severus's head jerked upward. Karas politely nodded to the headmaster and took a seat on the wooden stool beside her.

"Do you know her?" Harry Potter nudged Ron's side with his elbow.

The atmosphere around Ronald began to warm and he tugged on his shirt collar.

"No, of course not. I've never seen that girl before in my life," Ron quickly denied, tripping over his words and poorly covering the truth.

"Well, you keep mumbling about the new girl," Harry kept his interrogation quiet, hoping to not draw any unwanted attention.

"Huh?" Ron asked while his eyes were busy dodging Harry's.

"Do you know that girl up there?" Harry Potter asked again while moving his body to block Ron's line of sight.

"Good for you, mate," Ron mumbled in response as he peered over Harry's shoulders, getting another glimpse of her. Obviously not interested in what his best friend had to say.

"What?" Harry whispered while he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion to his friend's response. Then, drew his attention back to the front of the room.

KARAS crossed her legs, right over the left, as she waited to be sorted. The black dress she wore didn't leave any imagination to the length of her legs.

"A clever one, I see, and full of darkness," the Sorting Hat's voice rang throughout the hall, silencing all chatter.

Severus Snape slowly leaned back into his seat, his black eyes engraving a stare into the back of Albus Dumbledore's head.

"Greatness will be your future, no doubt. But where to put you?"

A ringing silence flowed into the Great Hall.

Ron Weasley was crossing his fingers underneath his house table, pleading the hat would speak, "Gryffindor."

"You would do well in Slytherin," the Sorting Hat declared, still pondering over his choice.

Ron Weasley snapped his head in the direction of the Slytherin table. He saw Draco Malfoy staring in the direction of Karas, a shadowed smirk rested on his lips.

"But I think you will do best in..." the hat paused, its fabric lips twisted at the sides, as if it were forced. "GRYFFINDOR!"

The house table erupted in standing cheers and Karas Haylett slipped the hat off her head.

Albus Dumbledore sent her a subtle wink and extended his arm toward the direction Karas was to follow.

"Before we begin the feast, I have yet another announcement," the headmaster laughed slightly.

Karas fingered the fringe against her forehead as she walked toward the Gryffindor table.

From the corner of her eye, she picked up Ron's stare. Let the games begin.

"I would like to welcome your new defense against the dark arts teacher, Alastor Moody," Dumbledore spoke while he turned his head toward a burly man standing at the far corner of the staff table.

Mad Eye responded to the introduction with a grunt and swig of the chrome flask in his hand.

Karas smiled to herself as she took an open seat at the Gryffindor table. Ron continued to stare at her from several seats away. Karas didn't dare make eye contact. Not yet.

From his seat at the head table, Severus Snape grasped the goblet of pumpkin juice in from of him, wishing it was fire whiskey. "And we're in."