Hello! This is a story I've started writing mainly with OCs about next generation adventures at Hogwarts. I've still got some spots open, so if you'd like your OC included in the story the forum is here: myforums/TheSkittleViking/4552563/
Molly and Amelia (not in this chapter) belong to me, and Alison and Lucas (also not in this chapter) belong to follicle. Hogwarts belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Hope you like it!
Alison stood in awe before the beautiful scarlet steam engine. The shouts of parents, hoots of owls, and squeaks of trolleys echoed around the platform, but all she was focused on was the gleaming engine glowing through the steam. This was it, the day her life changed. She was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Better close your mouth before a moke slithers in." Her brother Grant said, jerking her out of her reverie. Alison scowled at him as he cackled and ran off to go bother someone else. It was only his second year and he was already acting high and mighty about his superior knowledge. She did not look forward to trying to prove to her teachers that she was a much harder worker than her slack-off brother. Her parents had wondered off to chat with old friends, in fact she could hear her father debating the plays in last week's Quidditch game with some poor unassuming parent far of in the distance. Alison sighed and headed for the train, lugging her trunk with her.
The inside of the Express was just as impressive as the outside. The halls were lined with plush red carpet, and through the frosted compartment doors she could hear students laughing. She stumbled awkwardly along with her trunk, trying not to slam it into her knees quite so painfully as she searched for an empty compartment.
"Merlin's saggy left ballsack!" Alison paused as she heard the cry come from the half open compartment door to her right. Peering in she saw a short, tan girl with pigtails cursing furiously at her trunk, which had apparently slid of the luggage rack and burst open on the floor. It had probably given her a good whack too, if the pair of underwear looped around one pigtail was any indication. Alison pushed her horn-rimmed glasses up a little further on her nose, assessing the situation. This was probably the closest she would come to finding an empty compartment, but by the nonstop string of curse words coming out of the girl's mouth, maybe she should seek other company.
"God damn cauldron bummed son of a dugbog-Oh, hi!" Alison shrank back slightly as the girl caught sight of her. She beamed up at her, shoving the pile of clothes out of the way with one foot. "Come on in, there's plenty of room! I've just had a small mishap with this piece of dragon dung over here. They oughta make stronger locking spells, don't you think?" Alison stared critically at the girl as she finally detangled the underwear from her pigtail and crouched down to stuff her belongs haphazardly back into the trunk. She was very short and thin, with dark tan skin and an abundance of freckles. She had huge, brown eyes and a small, upturned nose, and her pigtails bounced around as happily as she did. After a moment's more hesitation she shuffled awkwardly into the compartment and set her trunk down with a loud thunk. The girl finished with her trunk and slid it next to her seat rather than onto the luggage rack. "I'm Molly by the way." She said, offering up her hand.
"Alison Post." She said, shaking it. "I imagine it's your first year here as well?" Molly nodded enthusiastically.
"Sure is, I hope I get put in Hufflepuff, or maybe Gryffindor. What about you?" Alison shrugged. She'd thought about this a lot before school started.
"I'm not sure honestly, I suppose Gryffindor or Ravenclaw would be nice." She replied. Molly rolled her eyes.
"Both my mum and dad were in Ravenclaw. If they're any indication, that lot is dead boring." She said. Alison was a little put-out.
"My brother's in Gryffindor. He says the Hufflepuffs are just the kids that weren't good enough to get put in any other house." She said haughtily. They stared at each other in tense silence for a moment. Molly finally broke into a wide grin.
"I like you, Alison Post."
The rest of the ride went well. When the Honeydukes trolley rolled by, Molly bought five of everything, except for chocolate frogs which she bought ten of. Alison tried the Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties, and bought a few chocolate frogs too. Molly offered a few every-flavored beans, which Alison stopped tasting after her third because she kept getting cabbage flavored ones. The spent the rest of the trip swapping chocolate frog cards and sharing stories.
When Alison finally remembered to check her watch, she gave a yelp of panic. They had less than five minutes left to change before the train arrived! They both got dressed in record time, if you count Molly's missbuttoned shirt, mismatched socks, and tangled tie as dressed.
"Would you like me to fix that for you?" Alison offered, giving a generalized gesture to the buttons and the tie.
"Nah, this is how I dress normally." Molly said with a shrug.
They both stumbled as the train shuddered to a stop, falling into each other.
"We have arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The conductor's voice shouted through the halls. "Leave your luggage on the train and it will be collected shortly. Once you have exited the train, please proceed to the carriages. All first years please report to professor Longbottom. All first years please report to professor Longbottom." Molly and Alison brushed themselves off, and then joined the crush of students shuffling towards the exits. They grunted as the older kids shoved them out of their way, and shared a grin as they shoved them back. When they finally stumbled outside, Alison again found herself staring in wonder at the great castle that rose before them. The warm yellow glow from the windows glinted off the great black lake below, which Alison realized Molly was slowly tugging her towards.
"Come on then, I think that's Professor Longbottom down there."
They ended up being the last kids to reach the boats, thus gaining the privilege of sharing one with the professor. Alison studied him curiously, while Molly stared at him awkwardly. After a moment he spoke.
"You need help with that tie?" He offered. Molly glanced down in surprise, before shaking her head.
"With all due respect, Professor, I think it's best not to give my teachers unrealistic expectations."
Alison grinned, and Professor Longbottom gave a short laugh. The mood in the small boat suddenly lifted, and actual conversation began. The professor told them about the houses and classes, and Alison felt the nervous butterflies in her stomach dissipate by the time they bumped into the floor of the cave and were lead up to the great hall doors. The professor cleared his throat.
"Tonight you will each be sorted into one of the four houses. From then on, that house will be you're your friends, your family, and your home for as long as you are at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For each good deed you do, you will gain points for your house, and for each bad decision you make, you will get points taken away. By the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the house cup." The professor stood there awkwardly for another moment. "Erm, yeah, I think we can go in now."
He led them single file, alphabetically, through the great hall Alison stared in awe for the third time that day. Floating candles filled the vast room with warm light, and the arched ceiling was so high it seemed to disappear into the night sky. The tables were filled with kids laughing and talking, although they all went quiet when the first years walked in. Alison scanned the different house tables. From the Slytherin table, many kids watched with seeming disinterest. At Hufflepuff quite a few kids were beaming at the group of first years, giving them thumbs up and mouthing words of encouragement. At Ravenclaw most of the kids studied them with interest. Her eyes landed on two kids in particular, a tall, serious boy who was leaning over to listen to something a pretty blond girl was whispering in his ear. He smiled and chuckled, and Alison wondered if maybe Molly had been wrong about all Ravenclaws being boring. Finally, she looked over at the Gryffindor table. She caught the eye of a tall, dark haired boy sitting next to a clan of redheaded kids. He gave her a wink and she found herself grinning back. She looked farther down the table and spotted Grant, doing something stupid with his wand and a nearby candle.
Alison jumped a little as the great hall doors slammed behind them and realized everyone had turned to stare at a wrinkled old hat resting on a stool. As she stared, the hat opened a rip near its brim, and began to talk, or rather sing.
It was many many years ago
When the founders turned to me
To place each Hogwarts student
In the house they ought to be.
In the first house I place only those
Courageous, noble, and brave,
Qualities Godric Gryffindor
Thought should be taken to the grave.
In the second Hogwarts house
Dwell those of brilliant mind.
In academics, Ravenclaws
Will not be left behind.
In the third house I will sort
Those with determination.
For that along with loyalty
Is a Hufflepuff's inspiration.
And in the fourth and final house
Are the cunning, ambitious, and sly.
Yes you'll go into Slytherin
If to you those traits apply.
So step right up and try me on!
Though I may be a grimy old sack,
You'll never find a hat better than me
To set your mind on track.
As the hat finished it's song, the whole room burst into applause. As the room died down, Professor Longbottom stepped forward with a large scroll and called out
"Abell, Edward"
A shaky looking dark skinned boy stepped forward and sat hesitantly on the stool. The hat was placed on his head and, after a moment called out
"RAVENCLAW"
The boy stood up in relief and jogged over to the Ravenclaw table that was giving up a cheer. The professor continued down the list, calling out one shaky-kneed first year after another. When the line got short enough for Alison to see Molly (Dow, Parnell was being sorted into Slytherin) she realized that the girl wasn't nervous at all, in fact she looked incredibly excited. At "Drammer, Molly" she practically skipped over to the stool, jamming the hat on her head. After a minute or two of contemplation, the hat finally shouted
"HUFFLEPUFF"
The table erupted into cheers and Alison clapped and smiled with them. Molly practically glowed as she bounced over to the table, welcomed by many claps on the back and semi-hugs. Professor Longbottom continued down the list, and Alison drew ever closer to the sorting hat. She was only a few spots away (Malfoy, Scorpius was being put into Slytherin) when she heard the boy behind her muttering. She turned around and saw a boy with messy black hair and glasses. He had his eyes squeezed shut as he whispered,
"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin, not Slytherin."
"Er, you ok?" Alison whispered. The boy opened his eyes in alarm, turning pink.
"Oh, yeah." He squeaked. "I just, erm. The Slytherins don't seem like the most pleasant lot, you know?" Alison was about to agree when she heard "Post, Alison" called, and it was her turn to be sorted.
She walked swiftly to the stool, sat down, and placed the hat on her head with determination.
Well, Said a voice in her head. This one is clear. A thirst for knowledge and recognition, yes, but above all I can see the bravery in your heart. You belong in "GRYFFINDOR" relief flooded through her as she walked in a near daze to the Gryffindor table. She high-fived a few kids happily as she searched for a spot, and was surprised to see the boy who had winked at her earlier patting the space next to him. She sat down thankfully.
"I'm James" He offered
"Alison."
"Yeah, I caught tha- GO AL!" Alison jumped in surprise as she took a moment to realize the shout hadn't been directed at her. The boy behind her in line, Potter, Albus, had just been sorted into Gryffindor. She stood to cheer with the rest of her house, and grinned at him as he came to sit on her other side.
"Nice job, Al. I knew you could do it!" James said, ruffling the younger boys hair. "Oh, by the way, this is Alison. Alison, this is Al, my brother." Alison and Albus said hello, then fell into a conversation with James, only interrupted when he stopped to cheer on Weasley, Rose when she was sorted into Gryffindor. She too, came to sit by them, and Alison realized the entire clan of redheads were all Potters and Weasleys.
She gasped in surprise with the other first years when platters of food suddenly appeared on the tables, and she heard a cry of "Son of a graphorn!" from the Hufflepuff table. The food was delicious, and Alison was not ashamed to say she completely stuffed her face.
At the end of the meal, the prefects of each house stood to lead the first years to their dorms. All the other houses left as well, and Alison caught sight of Molly giving her a wave. As the Gryffindor prefect opened his mouth to call the first years over, there was a loud bang and the entire table suddenly caught fire.
Alison stared in shock as the other Gryffindors gave shouts of surprise, then, on a hunch, glared over at her brother's end of the table. There, in fact, was Grant Post holding his wand and a candle (now gone out) with a mild look of surprise on his face. The table erupted into chaos. The prefects began shouting at Grant, while the Teachers and students rushed over to put out the fire, and the first and second years backed away hurriedly. For some reason, putting water on the flames only made them turn green and spit out curse words.
((PAGE BREAK))
Eventually, the fire was put out and Victoire Weasley was sent to lead the first years to their dorms. She did not seem happy with this, and gave them the grand tour by mumbling grumpily and gesturing vaguely at things. They went up the moving staircases, turned down multiple halls, ascended another spiral staircase, and finally came to rest in front of a painting of a rather large woman.
"Well hello there dearies, first years, Ms. Weasley?" The portrait inquired, and Victoire nodded curtly.
"Billywig stings." She said sharply.
"Oh my." The portrait said "someone's in a mood today. Don't even want to introduce me?" she turned to the group of first years "I'm called the Fat Lady. Not a very pleasant name, no. but the one I was given. You'll have to give me the password if you want to get into your dorms, which Ms. Weasley has already told you is-"
"Billywig Stings, god damn it! I was going to say that once we got inside, now would you just open for the love of god?"
The portrait swung forward resentfully, and they walked into the common room.