When the Hogwarts Express came to a stop, I managed to slip out of Hermione and Neville's sight. The head of pale blond was easy to find in the crowd, even past the two round bodies that trailed behind him.
Pushing past Pansy Parkinson, I sidled into step next to Draco. He looked me up and down once and his brows furrowed.
"You look awful," he stated.
"Funny, you're not the first person to tell me that," I said, bumping his shoulder. "I was a bit sick."
He helped me into a boat and sat next to me. Crabbe and Goyle took the bench behind us, tipping the boat slightly.
"What happened?" Draco asked. He looked paler than usual under the blue-tinted moonlight.
I glanced behind me. Crabbe and Goyle were listening to us. Contrary to popular belief, they weren't as stupid as they looked. Past them, I spotted Hermione at the same moment she saw me. She waved as she climbed into a boat with Neville and two boys I didn't recognize. I waved back and turned quickly.
"Maybe we should talk about this another time," I said, bringing my voice down. I felt bad, deliberately keeping things from Crabbe and Goyle. We all grew up together, and it was only a matter of time before they found out about Neville anyway. But I wanted to have a secret to myself, for once, even if only for a week.
He nodded in agreement. "Probably right."
The boats lurched forward and we fell into silence. I watched with a squirming stomach as we approached Hogwarts. The castle was intimidatingly huge.
Hello, Hogwarts. I hope you're happy to see me, because you are going to be my home for the next nine months. I'm ready if you are.
As we waited to be escorted to the Sorting Ceremony, something occurred to me.
"Draco, how are we being sorted?" I asked. My aunt and uncle refused to tell me, insisting that it was a surprise. They even asked Nymph to keep quiet, so the letters I sent her were completely pointless.
He stared down at me, his pale eyebrows raised in surprise. "I don't know that I ever asked," he said, shrugging. "I just knew I would be in Slytherin no matter what."
Pansy Parkinson appeared at Draco's elbow. "I just heard someone say that we have to do a test," she whispered. She looked back and forth between Draco and I, her eyes wide in terror. "What if we have to do spells? I never did any spells until on the train."
"Which is exactly why it would be impractical to do magic," I pointed out.
"Fair point," Draco said. "Look at you – you could be in Ravenclaw, you're so smart."
I smiled, tapping my foot impatiently. Why did they have to take so long? I just wanted the Sorting to be over with.
Pansy screamed, the high-pitched tone making my ears ring. Draco and I both stared at her, bewildered, until she pointed behind us.
A gaggle of ghosts had flown through the wall and were chatting away happily. Perhaps the dead were hard of hearing, because they didn't notice us until the fourth or fifth scream.
"Oh, come on, Pansy," I said, rolling my eyes. "You've seen a ghost before."
"I'm sorry," she whined. "They startled me!"
As the Friar claimed his house, I wondered what house the other ghosts belonged to. I was curious to know if they could help me decide on a house.
Behind us, I heard a cough and turned to see Professor McGonagall had returned. "I would suggest you move along," she said to the ghosts. "The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly."
As they disappeared, she turned a stern look upon us and inspected us quickly. Seeming to be satisfied with what she saw, she ordered us to follow her.
We filed out in pairs, and Pansy fell into step with me. She linked her arm around mine and smiled at me. Naturally, she began talking, but in the quietest voice I have never heard from her.
"I haven't seen you in so long, Lucy," she whispered. "We should see each other more. We should have lunch together."
"I don't know what house I'll be in," I reminded her.
"Will you be in Gryffindor?" Pansy asked.
"Probably not," I told her with a shrug.
"Then I don't care," she said, smiling and turning her head forward, signaling that the conversation was over and that she had won.
Sometimes I forgot she could be sweet.
As we entered the Great Hall, there was a collective breath of surprise. For a moment, I thought that there was no ceiling, but that seemed like a flawed building design, even for wizards. But as I inspected the edges of the starry patterns, I realized the black sky transitioned smoothly to the color of the walls. If there was no ceiling, the walls would form a solid line all the way around.
My classmates and I formed a crowd facing the teachers' head table. They stared at us with interest, as if they were already deciding which of us to fail.
I looked up at Draco, who stood at my side. My nerves clenched at my stomach and heart, and I felt as if I might be sick again. He shot me a sympathetic look.
My gaze returned to the front of the hall, where Professor McGonagall had placed a stool and a hat on top. I felt my eyebrows scrunch in confusion. It looked like a plain hat, except it was disgustingly old and worn. I almost prayed that I wouldn't have to put in on.
Imagine my surprise when the bloody hat began to sing.
"Oh you may not think I'm 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!"
The students behind us and the teachers to our front erupted into applause. A scattered reaction sounded from the first years.
"So, we just put on the hat?" Pansy said, leaning closer to me. She wrapped a hand around my arm, waiting for confirmation.
I nodded. "I think so," I said. Biting my lip, I tried to remember the hat's descriptions of the houses. Gryffindor was bravery, daring, nerve, and… patience? No! Patience was Hufflepuff. Wit and learning for Ravenclaw? Yes, that seemed accurate.
Before I could think through my options, Professor McGonagall had stepped up to the stool, holding a roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will place the Sorting Hat on your head and sit on the stool," she said to us. "Abbott, Hannah!"
I felt the blood drain from my face. We were going in alphabetical order, and my surname would be among the firsts. I imagined my name being called, and me asking Professor McGonagall if I could skip my turn for the round.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
I glared furiously at McGonagall, silently begging her to not call my name at least until she got to the final B's.
"Black, Lucille."
So bloody rude.
I hesitated to step forward, nervously catching the eye of the only teacher I knew, the teacher that had known the entirety of my family for years – Severus Snape. His head inclined slightly. I supposed he meant to be encouraging.
Swallowing hard, I stepped up to the stool. The hat finally on my head, I quickly sat down. My fingers gripped the edge of the seat and I leaned my head down to hide my face from the crowd in front of me.
"My, my," the hat drawled in my ear. "What an interesting mind we have here. Why, I don't doubt you would succeed in any house – but I supposed we can't put you in all four, can we? You're rather clever aren't you? I could put you into Slytherin and make your bloodline proud. Slytherin would be a fine place for your academic career to flourish… But in Ravenclaw, you would have a change to have a separate identity. You could learn without having to be tied to your parents."
My heart leapt. I remembered the chocolate frog card in my pocket with smiling image of Rowena Ravenclaw.
"Well, it seems the matter is settled!" the hat exclaimed in her head. "RAVENCLAW!"
I couldn't help but smile so hard my cheeks hurt.
