The Beginning...


"This," Hermione said, "is stupid. Explain to me again why we are trying to break into Dumbledore's office in the middle of the night for a chat with the Sorting Hat."

Harry sighed. "The Evil Elite asked us to put on a play in honor of HPgurl's birthday, which many of them forgot about. Cassirin is so riddled with guilt that she asked us to write and star in it. She even suggested it be about the founders of Hogwarts because apparently HPgurl really likes that era of history."

"She's inexplicably weird," Ron added.

"Shhh... it's her birthday!" Harry chastised.

Somehow, the Trio slipped into Dumbledore's office with no one noticing. Perhaps it was because the author sent Dumbledore out to buy her a pint of Graeter's ice cream, which can only be found in Ohio and therefore was quite a trip for him. Once in the office, they quickly grabbed a hold of the Sorting Hat.

"HEY!" he demanded. "Be gentle with me. I'm flippin' old!"

"Sorry, Mr. Sorting Hat, sir..."

"Oh, please. You just groped my entire hat-ness. I think we can move beyond formalities. Please call me Hoobley Hatley."

The Trio just stared at him a moment, until finally Harry realized that even a trip to Ohio couldn't take Dumbledore all night and he asked "the question." "Hoobley Hatley, do you think you could tell us everything you know about the Founders and the Founding of Hogwarts?"

He stared at the three youth for a moment, and his brim turned into a smile. "I can do better. I can show you. Put me on." They stared at the hat that had fit their heads when they were eleven. How exactly were the three of them, with their much bigger heads, going to put on the hat? "Could you trust me please?" Harry picked up the hat and somehow managed to squeeze it over their heads. Suddenly, they were standing in front of a much smaller and plainer Hogwarts castle.