Warning~ This contains very few swear words. Including damn, hell, and the occasional shit. (That sounds sooooo gross -.-)
They felt the train rumble underneath them as it began to move, hundreds of parents running alongside the train saying their final goodbyes to their children and passing on forgotten luggage. Four friends sat in one compartment sharing stories about their summers and wondering aloud what teachers they hoped were no longer teaching in their third year at Hogwarts. Footsteps slapping against the carpeted hall of the train caught their attention since it had stopped abruptly out of their compartment door. They caught site of a girl with short, straight hair that was strangely green and her eyes were an extremely pale blue, almost white. She was wearing a tight fitting black t-shirt advertising a band that may have been one she favoured and she wore gray jeans and a black belt that formed an X on her waist. She was peeking into their compartment; the four friends guessed that she was searching for someone so one with a mop of black hair on his head and crooked glasses waved at her to come inside. The mystery girl ignored him and shook her head upon finding out that the person she was searching for was not in their compartment. So, she ran off.
"Well that was weird." Sirius said to his friends who nodded in agreement.
"She's kinda cute." Peter though aloud, James scoffed, "None of us have seen her before since she's probably a first year."
"Who knows, maybe we just haven't seen her!" Peter shot back.
Remus remained looking at his book; Sirius thought he was a bit too interested in ancient runes.
"Moony! What do you think?" Sirius questioned. Remus remained looking at his book but began talking. "Wormtail… She has green hair; we would've seen her or at least heard of her. Since Hogwarts hasn't seen a transfer student for quite a while, it's pretty safe to say that she's a first year." Upon hearing Remus' explanation, Peter crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.
Peter peeked out of the window and saw the familiar silhouette of the Hogwarts train station and nudges James and Sirius awake. Sirius yawned and stretched, "Ah, sleep is a gift." James, yawning and stretching as well agreed. Remus had shut his newly finished book and dropped it on top of a pile of all the books he had read since the trip had begun. "Well, I just finished every textbook we'll be using this year… fairly simple."
Sirius and James just stared at him while Peter's eyes held complete admiration. "No wonder you always get O's…" Thanks to that, he received an elbow in the gut from Sirius. They all stood up and picked up their bag, searching for their robes. They had been friends ever since they had entered Hogwarts and were comfortable enough to get dressed in front of one another. They trained slowed to a stop under their feet, James poked his head through the neck hole of one of his shirts, "Come on, we better get off this train before it leaves Hogwarts without us." Sirius nodded in agreement while Remus snorted, "Because we all know that Hogwarts wouldn't be the same without us."
The other three just looked at him and said simultaneously, "Yup."
=3=
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" A deep voice bellowed. Sirius looked at the crowd gathering around the tall, round bellied man wearing a mole skinned jacket. Upon seeing a head of green hair he nudged Peter, "You see, first year." Peter merely rolled his eyes and followed the group of third and fourth years towards the carriages.
Sophie Vampier (Pronounced Vamp-peer) slipped through the thick crowd of Hogwarts students, bumping into people she couldn't recognise. She recalled her travels through the train searching for an empty compartment, she was unable to find any completely empty but settled into one with a silent looking book with oily black hair and a hooked nose who gave angry glare at her once of twice during the ride. She enjoyed the silence, though the boy must've though of her as strange since she had just stared at the empty seat in front of her, day dreaming. The moment she heard the announcement that they were reaching Hogwarts in a few minutes, she grabbed her knapsack and pulled out her robes and slipped them on top of her jeans a t-shirt. It was nearing autumn and she enjoyed the warmth.
She had stolen through the crowd with relative ease and eventually reached a group of younger looking students who looked a lot nearer to her age. They surrounded a tall, fat looking man with dirty looking black hair, but he looked nice and had a kind face. She joined the group and heard the man shout once more forcing Sophie to cover her sensitive ears, "Is that all the firs' years? Follow me then." He began walking towards a dark looking lake, the first years and gathering behind him in a line whispering to each other. A young boy of about Sophie's age standing behind her tapped her on the shoulder. "Hullo, my name's Gregory Bones, you?" Sophie stared at him, wondering of all the people he chose to talk to, chose her, the girl with the puke-ish green hair. "Um… Hi? I'm Sophie, Sophie Vampier."
Gregory chuckled mildly causing Sophie to raise a brow, "Are you going to make fun of my last name? Everybody seems too."
"No, I'm not going to make fun of it. Matter of fact, I'm kind of jealous, it's a pretty cool last name." Sophie's cheeks became just a bit pinker considering nobody ever praised her last name; they usually just mocked her for it.
"Your muggle born aren't you?" Gregory asked, stepping up beside her as they walked down a rocky path. "Kinda… how'd you know?"
"Because I'm one too." He said as the group reached the lake. He raised his finger and pointed at the lights in the distance, "Woah! Look at that!"
Sophie followed his finger and saw a castle that seemed to float on top of the water. "Epic…" Gregory stared at her strangely, "What? I like the word." She explained.
"No more than 4 to a boat!" Hagrid called out, pointing to a small fleet of boats by the water's edge. Gregory began forging a way through the crowd but then turned around when he learned that Sophie was going in the opposite direction. "Sophie, over here!" She turned around and hesitated for a moment, usually after people spent more than a few minutes with her they left her alone. I guess wizards are different from muggles in more ways than one.
She jumped into the boat with Gregory and another girl and boy she didn't know. Maybe it's just Gregory… these people probably won't like my presence. Sophie was wrong though, the moment she and Gregory stepped onto the boat, the two people – named Neil and Sidney by the way – couldn't help but feel safer for unknown reasons.
The boats glided across the lake, they watched it shimmer and ripple and in the dark it looked like an opaque black glass. Gregory decided it would be best to strike up a conversation to fill the silence on the boat. "So… What's your guys' names?" Thus a long conversation began that filled up the entire journey to Hogwarts' underground harbour and bonded the four people into becoming friends. Sophie was a bit reluctant and silent at first but soon enough joined the conversation.
"So, Wormtail are you still smitten in that first year girl?" James grinned at Peter playfully. "Okay! First off, I'm not smitten, I just said she was kind of cute. And secondly, you guys are just talking about this since there is nothing else to talk about but know that we're in Hogwarts can you please drop it." James and Sirius lifted their hands in a mock surrender, "Okay. Fine, we'll drop it, no need to get yer knickers in a twist." Peter began to open his mouth again but was interrupted by Remus pointing out that the sorting hat was getting ready to sing it's tune and professor McGonagall was walking into the hall with a stern look on her face being followed by nervous looking first years. The students quieted down when the sorting hat began to sing:
Oh you may not think me pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
Sidney elbowed Neil in the gut, causing him to gasp. She whispered angrily into his ear, "You said that we needed to perform ten spells and made me practise them during the entire train ride. And now I learn we just have to try on a hat. I. Hate. You." Gregory and Sophie were grinning at each other, Greg leaned back and murmured softly into Sidney's ear. "Hate's a strong word you know."
Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a rolled up parchment in her hand, "Gregory Bones."
Greg gulped, "Well I guess I'm first. Damn alphabetical order." He stumbled up and sat on the chair nervously. He felt the hat drop on top of his head and felt it vibrate as he began to talk. "I see, a smart one you are but as loyal and courageous as any other… GRYFFINDOR!" A look of relief past across his face and he heard all the gryffindors cheer with delight. He slid off the chair and walked casually to the Gryffindor table, taking a seat beside a boy with shoulder length black hair and a mischievous grin, Greg winked at Sophie but she ignored him. The boy with black hair beside his nudged his, "So… Gregory, that yer girlfriend?" This question cause Greg to nearly choke on the orange juice he was casually sipping whilst watching a boy with spikey blonde hair get sorted into hufflepuff. "W-what? No, she's just a friend I made on the boats." The boy beside him couldn't look anymore disappointed if he tried, "Too bad, she's kinda cute."
"Aren't you a bit old?" Gregory questioned, but it was ignored as the boy with black hair began talking to the rest of the table.
"Neil Grayson."
"GRYFFINDOR!" Another cheer erupted around him, and Greg smiled a bit, welcoming Neil beside him.
"Holly May."
"SLYTHERIN!" A cheer came from the Slytherin table, to Greg even their laugh sounded disgustingly posh.
"May Norman."
"RAVENCLAW!" Cheers once again. Greg looked at the remaining few in the unsorted line, finding his green haired friend at the end of it. Of course she'd be last, V.
Sidney was shifting from foot to foot nervously. There was only one person left in the queue standing in front of her, "Come one Sid, you just have to wear a hat." Sophie said as comfortingly as she could, it was hard, she was not normally a caring person. "Julian Thompson."
The sorting hat was barely on his head as it shouted out, "SLYTHERIN!" Sidney shivered as her name was called, "Sidney Toon"
She sat on the stool carefully, hoping to be put into the same house as Neil and Greg. The hat lay on her head silently, Sidney thought that it didn't even know she was there and that she wasn't even a wizard but as the hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" She squealed with joy. As she went to the empty spot beside Neil, she glanced backwards to Sophie and called out, "Good luck. Sophie nodded.
"Sophie Vampier." A murmur passed across the tables at her odd last name, but it died down as she sat at the stool and the hat was laid across her head. "Oh my, oh my. Cunning and used to getting what you want… yet you are loyal and would do anything to help your friends, truly just but brave and daring as well. Yet you still have a mind different from others… How troublesome."
All of the students were staring at her, unable to comprehend why the sorting hat was taking so long, So they can't hear what you are saying…
"Of course! It's because I'm thinking not talking."
Understood. So anyways, do you mind hurrying it up I'm kind of hungry.
"Quite the mouth you have, definitely your most striking feature… GRYFFINDOR!" One look at the Gryffindor table and Sophie knew the hat had said the last word aloud.
With the sorting finished, McGonagall flicked her wand and the sorting hat vanished, she took her seat at the staff table. Dumbledore stood up and raised his arms, "Welcome! Welcome to your new year at Hogwarts, for those of you who are newly sorted, I extend a congratulations. Now, without further a due I leave you with a few words and then you may begin your feat. Lemon drops! Sandwich! Blubber! Boil! Thank you!"
Food appeared on the plates in front of them and Neil dug in hungrily, Sidney just stared at him in disgust. "You really should chew with you mouth shut, none of us are interested in seeing what you have in your mouth." Neil ignored her and kept on eating. Gregory decided to speak up, "Well enough of the fighting! We all got lucky and ended up in the same house together which is bloody brilliant and –" Gregory stopped abruptly and he saw a pale shimmering figure glide weightlessly across the, Gregory almost fell out off his seat. "G-ghost…" Luckily he only whimpered it, and only caught the attention of his friends and the black should length hair fellow. The boy started laughing, "So a student sorted into the brave Gryffindor cries at the site of a ghost."
Remus was smiling as well but cam to Gregory's rescue, "Come on, give the kid a break. He's a first year Sirius." Sirius' wild laughter had brought the attention of all the other Gryffindors at the table. He wiped a tear from his eye but laid a hand of Greg's shoulder, "I sincerely apologize for embarrassing you on your first day at Hogwarts. Truce?" Gregory, with a face far redder then seemingly possible, mumbled, "T-truce."
Neil smiled kindly, "Don't worry mate, it's your first day and the people here seem nice. They'll understand."
Gregory groaned and blushed a bit when he saw that Sophie was looking at him pitifully, "I sure as hell hope so."