Hear ye, hear ye! First Annual Hogwarts Pet Show to be held!

[ugly-old-hat.livejournal.com]

The Sorting Hat did not appreciate Dumbledore's meddling, not one little bit. It felt the old wizard was hogging the spotlight. The Hat had to divert attention from all that. It wanted to mix things up a bit and distract the students.

It no longer believed in the sanctity of marriage, so repeating its tent-village plan was right out. Plus, no duck-waffles could be produced. All the students at Hogwarts had to redirect their parental urges into the care and feeding of --

Aha, that was it! The students would go just wild over a pet show! They'd get all competitive and backstabby and they'd forget all about that education nonsense Dumbledore was going on about!

The following flier appeared on pretty much every available wall surface, throughout common rooms and corridors and even tacked to people's dorm room doors:

Attention, All Students!

Do you have a pet?
Is it the greatest pet ever?
Come prove it
at the First Annual Hogwarts Pet Show!

To be held the first week of February, 2008
Prizes will be awarded!
The victors will also have gloating privileges!