"My name's Ron. It's nice to meet you." the orange haired boy says, sticking his hand out to Harry, the little silver bracelets on his wrist clinking against one another.
"Harry." Harry replies, flattening his hair again.
The door to their compartment slams open, and a girl with frizzy brown hair is standing there. "Is this compartment taken?" she asks, panting.
"No, come in." Harry says, gesturing her inside. She comes in, and Harry says, "I'm Harry, this is Ron. You are?"
"I'm Hermione Granger. Are you both first years as well?" she greets, sitting down on thethe opposite side of the bench as Harry.
"Yeah." Ron speaks, tugging on a leather bracelet. " My brothers've been going to Hogwarts forever, but I'm nervous. I don't want to have the same teachers as them..."
"Why's that?" Harry asks.
"I'm just nervous that they'll treat me different, that being a Weasley will make people treat me different."
"Oh, you're a multiple generation Wizard, then? Can you tell me something, what does mudblood mean? A rude boy with white-blond hair told me that I was one." Hermione says.
"It means someone not born with a wizard parent, it's like a slur. Like you are beneath him. If I had to guess, maybe Draco Malfoy. His parents are Death Eaters, followers of You-know-who." Ron quietly remarks, pulling harder at his bracelets.
"You mean Voldemort?" Harry inquires. "I'm sorry, apparently people don't like it when his name's used... But I thought he was dead... that... that Potter kid killed him?"
"People say You-Know-... Voldemort's still alive, and that he supposedly shows up if you say his name or whatever." Ron rolls his eyes. "I never really believed in it, but whatever. So, Harry, are you also a Muggleborn?"
"Half-blood, apparently. My dad was a wizard who'd died in the war... and my mom was a Muggleborn wizard who'd died with him. I live with my muggle aunt." Harry answers.
"Ah. Hey, Harry, I know a spell that could tame your hair a bit. I can't cast it very well, though." Ron offers.
Hermione hums. "Maybe I can? I'm apparently supposed to have a high aptitude for understanding spells, acaccording to the man who made my wand."
"Sure. So, the spell is simple, you just have to wave the tip of your wand at his hair three times, then say Recta Capillis." Ron smiles. "My brother Charlie uses it all the time."
"Okay." Hermione says, pulling out her wand. She circles the tip three times, then whispers, "Recta Capallis."
Instantly, Harry's hair straightens itself out, untangling itself and lying much flatter on his head. "Wow, thanks! Petunia could never get it to lie flat!" Harry smiles. Suddenly, a bell chimes through the train.
"Oh, that's the signal we're a half hour from Hogwarts. We'd best get changed." Ron says, getting on top of his seat and pulling his luggage out. It clatters down, nearly bonking Ron in the head, but he manages to jump back in time. Unfortunately, he ends up losing his balance and falling straight onto Hermione, who had just gotten up. The two of them tumbled to the floor.
"Oww.." Hermione mumbled, gently extracting herself from beneath Ron.
"Here, let me help you both up." Harry says, offering a hand first to Hermione, pulling her up, and then doing the same for Ron. "Are you two okay? Here, let me just..." He trails off, digging through a massive sweatshirt pocket. He pulls out a large band-aid, sitting Ron down and placing it gently on his knee, before putting another on Hermione's cheek.
"Thanks, Harry." Hermione says, rubbing the bandaid gently.
"Yeah, thanks." Ron says as well.
Soon, all three of them have their bags, and both Ron and Harry simultaneously pull out their robes and move to the door.
"Where are you two going?" Hermione asks.
"We were gonna let you change in here, and find somewhere else for the two of us." Ron says, and Harry nods in agreement.
Hermione scoffs "Oh, nonsense. Change in here, I'll wait outside, and then the two of you do the same for me, okay?"
The boys nod, stepping away from the door, and Hermione goes through insteadinstead, closing the doors behind her. They shrug, and get changed quickly before opening the door to find that Hermione is chatting with a short blonde girl with a dreamy expression on her face.
"Oh, hi boys. This is Luna, she was wandering around because she said she didn't have a train car to sit in." Hermione introduces, "And these are Ron and Harry," she says, gesturing to each in turn.
"Hello, Luney." Ron says affectionately, and she nods.
"Hello, Ron. You're as cold as ever." she offers as well, and Ron smiles. "She lives up the hill from me." he explains.
"And hello to you, Mr. Potty." She says, grinning at Harry. "Glad you're alright. How's your terrible cousin?"
"Still as priggish as ever. Tell your aunt I said hello, okay?" Harry returns shyly.
"Will do." Luna replies, blinking her eyes slowly.
"Well, Luna, you and I have to change." Hermione interrupts briskly, pulling Luna away from her mini staring contest with Harry.
"We?" Luna asks slowly, before the door is closed again.
The boys again shrugged, Ron tugging at his bracelets and making them jingle to pass the couple minutes they had alone.
"Are you the famous Harry?" Ron asks after a bit.
"Um... I- I guess so? According to the groundskeeper, Hagrid, I am, so that's accurate I guess..." Harry trails off nervously, parting his bangs a bit so Ron could see the lightning-scar on his forehead.
"You're apparently a celebrity, lots of kids are going to want to be friends with you if you show them that." Ron comments, tone somber.
Harry gently nudges Ron's shoulder. "Well, guess I better hide it then. I have two great ones, who don't care about who I'm supposed to be."
"Yeah."
The compartment opens, just as another bell chimed above their heads. Hermione ushers them in, and they all sit down together. The four talk amicably, wondering what house they'd be sorted into and the like.
"What are the Houses, anyway?" Harry asks, tugging on his sleeves.
"Gryffindor's for the brave, Hufflepuff's loyal, Slytherin's clever and cunning, and Ravenclaw's knowledgeable." Hermione answers.
"I'd like to get into Slytherin. My whole family's been Gryffindor the past few generations... There's a massive rivalry between them and Gryffindor, and the look on my mum's face would be priceless." Ron interjects, giggling.
Harry's brows furrow. "Is that the only reason?"
"I also think it'd be a good fit, and nice. I'm good with strategy, my dad thinks, and that's fit for clever and cunning, I guess. And I think snakes are cool. And... I guess, I want to change Slytherin's reputation. They're not all blood purists and stuffy jerks, like my brothers pretend."
"I think Slytherin'd be nice." Hermione chimes in. "I'd like to change the perceptions about it as well. Also, it'd be a good idea to learn from the world's number one potionsmaster, Snape, who's the Head of House..."
"I'd prefer Hufflepuff, if anything..." Luna whispers longingly.
"I don't know what house I'd like to be in. Definitely not Gryffindor." Harry muses. "I'd like to distance myself from my dad... if possible."
The train began to slow down, brakes screaming as the massive magical train comes to a halt at it's station.
"Time to get off..." Ron mutters. "They're gonna make us go into boat, because we're first years, so stick close, please..." he whispers into Harry and Hermione's ears.
They follow him through the thick crowd once they're off the train, heading to the massive figure of Hagrid.
"Hello, Harry!" he greets once they get close enough for him to see them. "Glad you found some friends!"
The massive man moves towards a misty area, the horde of children following him as they chat amongst themselves.
"Alright, kids, three to a boat, steady, now. They won't tip over, come on." Hagrid instructs, gesturing to the boats lined up aling the docks.
Ron quickly pulls them into the nearest one, the boat setting off once all three are seated. Hermione waves to Luna as they left, who had apparently found a boy with brown hair to talk with.
They look out at the dark, misty lake, and Harry can vaguely see a creature moving alongside the boat. "Whoa, I think there's something next to the boat.." he tells his friends, and Ron peeks over the side.
"I think it's a mermaid, this area has lots. The best way to communicate with them is sign language... wish I knew some." Ron says, sighing.
"I can teach you both. According to the map in Hogwarts: A History, the Slytherin dorm is partially underwater, so we could talk with them there." Hermione interjects.
"That sounds cool!" Ron says, and before they can continue the conversation, the boat gently reaches the shore. Hagrid was already there, and he helps them out of their boat before going to another one that had washed ashore as well.
The trio joins the rest of the students waiting, and stand in companionable silence. They listen to the conversations of those around them until Hagrid leads them up a small flight of steps to a door, where he knocks. Not a minute later the door is opened by a woman with light brown-grey hair tied in a tight bun and thick, rectangular glasses on her face.
"Thank you, Hagrid. You can go to the great hall, the twins have been asking about you like every year." the woman says, before turning to the group of children. "Hello to you all, I am Professor Minerva Mcgonagall, the head of Gryffindor. I am to escort you to-"
She is cut off by a loud exclamation of "Trevor!" from a boy in the crowd, who surges forward and grabs a toad from the steps. "Sorry... I was just looking for my pet toad, and here he is, sorry..." the boy says, scurrying back into the crowd to stand by Luna.
"Ahem, I'm here to take you to the Sorting Ceremony. When your name is called, sit upon the stool and let the hat be placed on your head. Shall we?" Without waiting, Professor Mcgonagall turned on her heel, gesturing for the children to follow as she walked through the door and held it open. "Come, come." she says, not unkindly, and the group surges through the doors, the boy who had grabbed his toad holding it open as Mcgonagall leads them into a large, grandiose hall with four magnificently long tables, each with a different colored set of banners hanging above them. Harry's eye catches on a green one, above the far left table, with a glittering, moving silver snake.
He is so caught up in it's movement that he barely notices when the first name is called, only pulled back into reality with a giant boom of "Hufflepuff!" that makes him cover his ears.
Ron, nearby, does the same thing, and the three of them huddle closer until Hermione's name is called, and she approaches the hat. The two boys draw closer to see their friend, hands clenched into one another's and hidden between the both of them.
By then, they're used to the sudden booming voice, but it still startles them when the hat shouts "Slytherin!" after nearly six minutes. The two smile at her as she moves to an empty section of the cheering and clapping table, clearly waiting for her friends.
Harry goes, after a lot more names, and when the hat is placed on his head a voice whispers in his ear, raspy with disuse.
"Hello, Harry Potter. Oh, don't like your last name, I see, Harry. You're quite ambitious, wanting to change how this world works. You have much cunning here too. Yes, I think I know what house would suit you..."
"SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouts, and it's so much louder Harry winces, but nonetheless gets up, shooting Ron a quick thumbs up before moving to sit next to Hermione.
"Harry Potter, huh?" A pompous voice asks, and he turns to see a boy with white-blond hair, sitting amongst a large group of his peers. "I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. Would you like to be my friend?"
The way Draco says friends is glittery, like a poisonous flower.
"Sorry, no. You insulted my friend earlier today, and I'm not interested in being friends with someone who only makes them because of status or blood purity. Bye, Draco." He moves on, sitting across from Hermione. "He tried to make friends with me. That's the prat who insulted you, right?"
"Yeah. He's really rude." The two of them wait together for their friend to join them, watching Ron in the crowd. It's another twenty or so minutes before Ron is called, and they both hold their breaths as the hat is put on his head.
After a minute of deliberation, the hat gives a shout of "SLYTHERIN!", and the two, along with their new House, cheer as the redhead moves towards his waiting friends. He sits next to Harry, and the three of them chat as the last few people were sorted.
The ceremony is concluded with Blaise Zabini, who is sorted into Slytherin, and the headmaster gets up to make a few announcements. Upon seeing him, Harry's expression darkens. The only announcements he pays attention to are the ones about the Forbidden Forest being... forbidden, and something about a third floor corridor being off limits. With a flourish of the headmaster's wand, the plates fill with food, and Harry selects a piece of roast ham, some vegetables, and a roll. He eats those immediately, his expression cheering, and Ron decides not to mention it.
"I wonder what the dorms will be like." Ron says, and Hermione smiles.
"I think we'll see that soon. According to the Hogwarts history book, right after the feast the Head boy and girl, or a prefect, will lead us to the dorms and show us how to get in." She shrugs. "There's something about a password, but I think it's posted in the common room, so we should be okay."
"Think they have wizard chess? George says there's one in the common room in the Gryffindor dorms, but I wonder if there is one in the Slytherin commons as well..."
"Is wizard chess like the normal kind?" Harry and Hermione ask at the same time.
Ron snorts a bit. "I think so. I'm assuming your pieces aren't charmed to move, or smash the other pieces to bits."
"Nope." says Hermiones, the same time Harry says "No."
"Okay." Ron thought for a moment. "So you just have to tell the pieces where to go, but the moves should be the same. We can play a game of it if there's a set in the common room."
"Sure." Harry says
"I'm all for it." Hermione agrees.
The three of them continue to talk as they eat, learning pieces about one another's lives and beginning to trust one another more.
"Now, for the first years; your Prefects will lead you to your dorms, and help you get settled in. Goodnight, everyone." the headmaster announces, before leaving himself.
Two people stand up from the Slytherin table, a woman with silvery hair and a boy with light brown. The girl calls out, "Can the Slytherin first years please gather around? Attention, first year Slytherins, gather here!"
She and the man wait by one of the exits, the first years gathering around them. "Alright, thank you. I'm Gertrude, aand this grumpy guy is George. We're the fifth year Slytherin prefects, and if you have any questions, please ask us."
"Let's take you all to the dungeons." George pipes in.
"Yeah. Come on, this way." Gertrude takes the lead, bringing them down a bright hallway made of old, weathered stone. "The dorm is in what would have been a dungeon, so everyone around here calls it The Dungeons." She leads them a bit farther, past an old tapestry with a silver snake embroidered into it, unmoving, unlike the one in the great hall. They pass a silver snake sconce in the wall to their left, and George whispers something to that section of wall. Part of the wall shimmers and disappears, leaving a large empty doorway.
"Password this week and next week is just Snake, but after that they get less easy to memorize. Password changes every two weeks, no exceptions. Go on through." George says, and the students shuffle in.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron bring up the rear, and when he emerges Harry lets out a little gasp of astonishment. "This looks amazing."
Green lights hang from every wall, in between large floor to ceiling windows that show the lake outside. The common room has many low bookshelves against the walls, underneath the lights.
The wall directly facing the door has a truly massive fireplace, with three large, comfy looking armchairs in front of it and a Slytherin banner hanging proudly above the crackling fire. In one corner, there are two chess sets, one made of marble, and the other, magic glass.
In the center of the room are two large round couches, forming a rough circle. Two well lit staircases leading down on opposite sides of the room are each labeled '1-3' and '4-7', for the grades. The first years are herded to the 1-3 staircase, going down a white, green, and silver hallway.
"Okay, so, three to a room, co-ed allowed, just nobody who's dating. If anyone gets caught doing something posted on the board right before the staircase, they get a penalty. Three penalties equals a detention and referral to Head of House. Any questions? No? 'kay, bye!" Once he finishes, George leaves, taking the stairs back up two at a time.
"You can find me anytime, if you need something. Tutor lists are on the main board, by the entrance. Books are above the entryway and in every bookshelf. Once you choose a room, your luggage'll appear at the foot of your bed!" Gertrude says, smiling as she turns around and heads up the stairs herself. "Oh, I forgot to mention..." she starts, turning back around. "Don't get caught." She grins wickedly, a fiery glint in her eyes, and then her smile is suddenly back in place, and she hums as she finishes the trip upstairs.
Immediately, Harry grabs Ron and Hermione and races down the hall as far as he can, taking the last possible room. The four rooms closest to it are empty, and he explains as much to his friends. "We'll take this room. The one at the end. The ones closest to it will be empty, because who wants to be at the way end of the hall, where you have to walk farther to get to the common room? So we can use them however we want, as long as we don't get caught. If the school's ever attacked, we can fortify back here,
and we can use one of the rooms to hold books."
"That's a great idea, Harry. Let's do that." Ron says.
"I agree." Hermione opens the door to reveal a large bedroom, with a bed against each wall. The middle space had a comfy couch, a coffeetable, and a set of chess on top of it. Atop each bed was a different suitcase. A door on the back wall led to a bathroom.
Harry made his way over to his suitcase, immediately switching from the left bed to the middle one.
He set Hermione's case down on the bed his was on, and settles down on the bed he'd claimed. "Is it okay for me to have this bed?" he asks, side-eyeing Hermione and Ron.
"Sure." Hermione agrees.
"I have no problem with it." Ron shrugs, then goes to jis suitcase, pulling out pajamas. "I'm going to change really quick."
He goes to the bathroom, and Harry and Hermione each grab their own clothes.
When Ron is done changing into an oversized pair of red pajamas, Harry goes in, changing into a new pair of black and white pajamas, sighing contentedly as he goes back out. Next in is Hermione, who changes into a simple grey nightgown.
"Hey, Ron, can I change your pajamas to grey and green?" Harry suggests, "Those are old Gryffindor pajamas, and it might make you feel more comfortable."
"Maybe in the morning?" Hermione suggests from her bed, noticing Ron trying (and failing) to stop himself from yawning.
Harry shrugs again, moving over to the middle bed. "Fine with me. Goodnight."
"Night." Ron whispers, crawling into his own bed.
"G'night, sleep tight." Hermione muttered, tucking herself under her covers.
The three fell asleep to the sound of water moving.