Good Advice from Strangers
Thomas was, in short, scared senseless. He was going to Hogwarts for the first time. Not that this in itself is bad, quite the opposite, he had been looking forward to it for as long as he could remember. The thing was though, he was scared about the sorting.
His entire family (quite literally) had been in Ravenclaw. They were all smart, quick witted and clever. He, on the other hand, wasn't. He was by no means unintelligent, he was simply average. And so now he boards the train thinking how his parents, sisters, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles would be disappointed in him.
Sitting down in an empty compartment gives him a few more moments to try and think before his self-analyzing is interrupted. The person walking into the compartment looks to be about 16 and is still wearing muggle clothes, along with a pair of oval glasses. His hair is jet black and untidy, falling into emerald green eyes.
The boy sees him and holds out his hand, "I'm Albus, er, mind if I share your compartment?"
Taking his hand, Thomas replies "It's fine, and I'm Tom" Albus looks at him curiously.
"First year?" Thomas nods. "Yeah, I know that feeling. Worried about your house?" Another nod. "Don't be. It'll be fine."
The younger boy shakes his head at that. "No it won't. My family, my entire family has bee in Ravenclaw. And to be honest, I'm not all that clever."
Albus grins. "Yep, definitely know that feeling. 'Cept with me, it was Gryffindor. My dad, mom, grandparents, all of 'em. Every last one. I was scared senseless I was going to be put into one of the other houses, especially Slytherin."
The younger boy looks at him "And it all worked out for you?" Albus nods. "I don't think Gryffindor would be too bad, or Hufflepuff. But Slytherin; ugh. I think I might just leave." The black haired boy laughed at this, easing the slight tension in the room. Around then another person entered the compartment, this one a girl with frizzy red hair and freckles.
"Hey Rose." The girl, apparently named Rose, replied in kind ot Albus before sitting down.
Noticing Thomas, she said in an excited voice "Oh, hello. You must be a new student here. If you have any questions, ask me or Albus. We're prefects."
Albus grins. "Oh really Rose? Are we? I think that you've said as much once…twice…thrice…" He was cut off by a smack to the side of his head. "Easy, or Ill tell Uncle Ron you were beating up on your poor, defenseless cousin." This last was accompanied by his best puppy dog eyes.
She snorts at him, and turns to Tom "Was he bothering you?"
Tom grins and shakes his head. "Just giving me some advice."
Rose looks appalled at this, and turns to Albus. Before she can hit him again, he shouts "About how he was nervous which house he should be in!" Coming out from behind the protective book he was holding, he quickly changes the subject. Much later, the three of them get off the train to get ready for the final leg of the trip.
Thomas turned to Albus on a last minute question. "What house are you in?"
The raven haired boy smiles and climbs into the carriage. Leaning out the window, he shouts "Slytherin" to a dumbstruck Thomas.
Thank you for reading! Please R/R.
Robert DeWarren
