The Sorting Hat catching fire and all that was just a minor incident.
After all, once the professors had examined it, they found that because the Sorting Hat was made of leather, the falling candle had only scorched a small patch, leaving it a little blackened and stiff. It was otherwise fine. The candle falling from the chandelier had probably been a genuine accident, and after they reinforced all the chandeliers and candles with spells, the welcome feast finally began in earnest.
Almost instantly, all sorts of delicacies appeared on every house's banquet table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, steaks, lamb chops, sausages, all kinds of vegetables and fruit, and even sweets and pastries. There was everything you could ask for!
Then, at the toast and command of some old geezer, the students and teachers dug in.
And Annie was no exception!
"Mm-hmm..."
After all, she'd started sleeping as soon as she boarded the Hogwarts Express and hadn't eaten a thing. She'd only woken up when they got off, and after all that time, she was indeed a little hungry.
Besides, she knew that Hogwarts meals weren't usually this lavish except at the start and end of term and on certain important holidays—like that ridiculous Christmas, which wizards shouldn't even be celebrating in the first place. And since she was currently posing as a first-year student, she ought to take the chance to eat as much as she could.
"Um..."
"Annie?"
"Hello, I'm Angelina Johnson. You can call me Anna. It's nice to meet you!"
Just then, an older student who looked about fourteen or fifteen, a spirited young woman, came over to the first-year table. She gazed at the bear in Annie's arms with hopeful eyes and asked nervously:
"So..."
"Could I play with your pet?"
From her