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.Everybody clapped and cheered.Harry didn't knowwhether to laugh or not."Is he -- a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly."Mad?" said Percy airily."He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! Buthe is a bit mad, yes.Potatoes, Harry?"Harry's mouth fell open.The dishes in front of him were now piled withfood.He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table:roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, baconand steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding,peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, pepperminthumbugs.The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry, but he'd never beenallowed to eat as much as he liked.Dudley had always taken anythingthat Harry really wanted, even if It made him sick.Harry piled hisplate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat.It was all delicious."That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harrycut up his steak,"Can't you --?"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost."I don'tneed to, of course, but one does miss it.I don't think I've in troducedmyself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service.Resident ghostof 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 --" the ghost beganstiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted."Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn'tgoing at all the way he wanted."Like this," he said irritably.He seized his left ear and pulled.Hiswhole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was ona hinge.Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done itproperly.Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, NearlyHeadless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said,"So -- new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the housechampionship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long withoutwinning.Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The BloodyBaron's becoming almost unbearable -- he's the Slytherin ghost."Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghostsitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stainedwith silver blood.He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased tosee, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements."How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest."I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the foodfaded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before.A momentlater the desserts appeared.Blocks of ice cream in every flavor youcould think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jamdoughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding -- "As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to theirfamilies."I'm half-and-half," said Seamus."Me dad's a Muggle.Mom didn't tellhim she was a witch 'til after they were married.Bit of a nasty shockfor him."The others laughed."What about you, Neville?" said Ron."Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but thefamily thought I was all- Muggle for ages.My Great Uncle Algie kepttrying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me -- hepushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned -- butnothing happened until I was eight.Great Uncle Algie came round fordinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankleswhen my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally letgo.But I bounced -- all the way down the garden and into the road.Theywere all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy.And youshould have seen their faces when I got in here -- they thought I mightnot be magic enough to come, you see.Great Uncle Algie was so pleasedhe bought me my toad."On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking aboutlessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'mparticularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning somethinginto something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult-";"You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort ofthing -- ").Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up atthe High Table again.Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet.Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore.ProfessorQuirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasyblack hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.It happened very suddenly.The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell'sturban straight into Harry's eyes -- and a sharp, hot pain shot acrossthe scar on Harry's forehead."Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head."What is it?" asked Percy."N-nothing."The pain had gone as quickly as it had come
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