Chapter 2
GRAY
Gray Fullbuster didn't mind the cold, in fact, he kind of enjoyed it. Even though it was raining, and the other kids he was sitting with in the boat; Natsu, the two girls from the train (whose names he had just learned; Lucy Heartfilia and Levy McGarden), and another girl named Lisanna, were shivering, he was leaning casually against the boat, eyes narrowed.
Natsu moaned. He was flipped onto his stomach, head over the edge of the boat. "This is even...worse...than...the t-train."
Gray raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, well, no waves on a train."
"Aaaaahhhh," Natsu moaned, and proceeded to vomit again. Gray rolled his eyes.
"Aren't you cold, Gray?" Lucy asked, but it sounded more like, "A-a-aren't y-y-you co-cold, Gra-Gray?" because her teeth were chattering together rapidly.
He shook his head, which caused water to go flying out of his black hair, which was pressed against his cheeks, forehead, and the back of his neck. "I don't get cold."
"What's that's supposed to mean?" Lucy snapped. "You don't just 'don't get cold.'"
Gray shrugged and didn't answer.
His adopted mother had taught him how to withstand the cold. Ul was a master in ice magic, and she was happy to teach him and her adopted son, Lyon, all that she knew.
Gray gasped suddenly, the loss of her suddenly overwhelming, slamming him in the chest and knocking the breath out of him. His heart thudded in his chest, and he tried to keep calm.
He missed her. He missed her a lot.
And he missed his real parents too.
Seven was too young to lose both of the people that gave you life, and eleven was too young to lose the woman that had taken you in and loved you just like you were her own.
Gray wasn't planning on going to a wizard school. But Ul had gone here. He owed it to her to go to her school, and live up to her name.
And maybe all of these people in the boat with him would make him feel less lonley. He had always considered Lyon as a brother, not a friend, and, saying that, he hadn't had a real friend since his entire town had been destroyed and everyone but him killed.
"Gray?" Lisanna asked, noticing his sudden change in character. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," he choked.
"Oh wow. It's getting closer. Look how big it is!" Lucy perked up, pointing at Hogwarts, which was, indeed, getting bigger.
It looked more like a castle than a school, with wavering lights and turrets and towers, and walls that seemed to go on and on and on.
The boat was going along by itself, and it was heading for a stretch of land to the right of the school. In fact, some boats had already mounted there, and kids were pulling it further up so that the other boats could run up into the sand.
"It's impressive," Gray said simply, wiping the rain off of his face with his sleeve.
"Just impressive?" Lucy questioned condescendingly.
Gray shrugged, a habit he found himself doing quite a bit, continuing to stare at the school.
A moment later, after the rain started pouring down even harder, their boat rammed into the sand, and, before Gray could even move, Natsu had jumped out of the boat and was practically doing cartwheels. "NO! MORE! BOAT!"
"Yeah, okay," Gray muttered, climbing out of the boat and standing by it, waiting for the girls to get out as well. They pulled out all of their luggage (and Natsu's…), and then he, with Lucy's help, pulled the boat further up the beach.
They then proceeded to walk to the school (they were already soaking wet—their robes stuck to their skin—no reason to run), and they followed the slew of students through the humungous front doors.
The hall they walked into was huge, just like the doors, extending for forever in every direction, with pretty stairs and marble stairs leading up into oblivion. They followed suit of what the rest of the students had done; left their trunks in the hall, then followed the mass of First Years down the hall and to the left, going through another set of large doors into the biggest dining hall Gray had ever seen.
Candles floated over them, and every single student, including him, stared up at them in wonder. In front of them, there were four very long tables, and, in the front of the room, elevated, there was another long table, where all of the professors were sitting.
"Please just stand in the middle, First Years. We will start the sorting momentarily," a booming voice said, and Gray figure out it was a very short man standing on a podium in front of the professor table.
Gray's eyes drifted to the Ravenclaw table; where Ul had been. It wasn't the first time that he wondered what house he would get sorted into. He didn't know, really. Ravenclaw was known for being smart, and Gray didn't think of himself as being all that smart; maybe common sense smart, but not book smart.
He was snapped out of his thinking by a commotion up towards the front of the room. A tall man with dirty colored hair and a black cloak (obviously the professor that had led all of the kids in), was placing a black hat on a table in front of the podium.
Funny, it kinda looked like it had a face…
And then, all of a sudden, the hat started singing, and all the First Years gasped, stepping back, and then everyone went quiet.
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 tops 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.
Y ou might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell brave of 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 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 folk use any means
To achive their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And you won't get in a flap!
You're safe in my hands(though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
Once he was done, the professor who had put him on the table produced a long list from his cloak, and proceeded to call, "Akatsuki, Ren!"
A dark skinned boy with long black hair in a short ponytail and bangs hanging in his eyes galloped up to the stool, picking the hat up and plopping it on his head, as if he had done it a thousand times.
After about a minute, the hat bellowed, "HUFFLEPUFF!" And the table under the black badger on a yellow background banner started clapping and cheering, and a few students even stood up.
The professor in the cloak when through the list rather quickly.
"Blendy, Sherry!" and the hat was placed on her head like all the rest.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Then he was calling out Natsu. Natsu ran up to the hat, Happy on his shoulder. The hat was only on his head for a second before it called out, "GYRIFFINDOR!" and Natsu smiled, his creepy sharp teeth very noticeable, running over to the table as Happy chirped out congratulations
In their little group of friends, Gray was next, and, before he knew it, the professor was calling out his name.
Gray made his way through the crowd, using his wet shoulder to make his way through all the students. The professor nodded at him as he grabbed the hat and sat down, putting it on his head.
"Hmm…" the hat muttered, and Gray jumped, then quickly figured out that the student with the hat on their head was the only one who could hear it. "Yes, young one, you have much promise. I see Ul in you, but I also see a very brave young man."
Brave? Doesn't that mean I'm a Gryffindor?
But the hat didn't shout out Gryffindor.
"SLYTHERIN!"
The claps he got from his new house was very weak and unenthusiastic, but he was still excited. He had kinda hoped for Gryffindor, but that annoying Natsu kid was in it, but anyway, Slytherin was cool enough for Gray.
He tried to catch Lucy's eye as he made his way over, hoping that his possibility at a new friend was happy for him, but all he got from her was a shocked, cold stare.
Gray could stand the cold, but not that kind. That shot all the way down to his bones. Suddenly he wasn't so excited about his new house. What was wrong with it that made Lucy look at him like that?
He sat down next to a tall, lean boy with blue hair who had to be at least fourteen. The boy turned his head to look at him as he sat, and Gray saw he had a strange red marking under and over his right eye.
"I'm Gray," he said, his voice shaky, suddenly far more nervous than he'd been up to this point. Something about this boy unsettled him.
The boy gave him a little half smile, holding out one of his pale hands. "Jellal," he almost growled, voice deep, dark, and mysterious.
Gray shook his hand carefully, then turned back to look at the table, which was so shiny he could see his face in it.
"Don't worry," the girl across from him said. She had curly brown hair that was up in a ponytail, with green-rimmed glasses. She looked about the same age as Jellal. "He's always like that, aren't you, Jellal?"
"Mmm," was all he said in return.
"I'm Evergreen. You're a cutie, aren't you?"
Gray shrugged, closing his eyelids halfway and putting his head down on the table, his previous demeanor returning a little bit, now that it was clear that Jellal wasn't going to murder him or anything. All be wanted to do now was sleep.
"LUCY HEARTFILIA!"
Gray perked up when he heard her name, curious as to what house she would get. But yes, exactly like Natsu, the moment the hat touched her head, it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
He sighed. He had hoped at least one of the people he had met on the train would be in the same house as him, but, so far, no dice.
There were a few others after. There was a Hibiki Lates, who was sorted into Ravenclaw along with Levy, who was soon after him. Then there was Erik Lehnsherr, a tall boy with redish hair and purplish eyes, who was sorted into Slytherin. He wore a scowl and sat on the other side of Gray.
"I'm Gray." Gray stuck out a hand.
The boy didn't take it, but he did respond, "I"m Cobra." Guess he had a nickname.
Gray bit his lip and awkwardly pulled his hand back. He just trying to be nice.
After that the other girl he had been on the boat with, Lisanna, got sorted into Hufflepuff. After her there was Eve Tearm (a boy with an unusually girly face), who was also sorted into Hufflepuff.
Then, when they were finally getting towards the end of the list, he heard a name that shook him to his core.
"Vastia, Lyon!"
And Gray was on his feet, palms on the table, searching frantically for the light-haired boy that had been his fellow tutee under Ul, and like his brother .
They had gotten separated when Ul had died; Lyon had ran off while Gray had come here, but he didn't think that Lyon was coming here too.
Truthfully, he didn't know if he wanted Lyon in Slytherin with him. They had gotten in a huge fight after Ul had died.
The hat was slowly lowered on Lyon's silver hair. A smug look was on his face.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat called, and Gray filled up with relief. Lyon wasn't in his house.
Gray put his head down on the table, ignoring the rest of the sorting. When it was finished, he perked up a bit when the little man on the podium, who he assumed was the headmaster, said, "We will eat momentarily, but first, we must go over the number one rule at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-the Forbidden Forest is exactly what the name says; FORBIDDEN. You are not allowed to go there on any circumstance, ever. Are we clear?"
There was a chorus of "yes"s in the crowd of students, and the headmaster nodded. "My name Is Makarov Dreyer. I am your headmaster. I am also going to point out Professor Gildarts Clive, who helped us with the sorting tonight." Makarov pointed one of his small fingers at the man in the ratty cloak, and he nodded, smiling a little. "Now, enjoy the feast!"
And suddenly, Gray was watching food appear on the long, shiny table in front of him, lots of food, more food than he was ever going to eat ever-chicken and steak and mashed potatoes and corn and fruit and warm rolls, along with every drink under the sun; milk and water and juices and soda. His mouth started watering; he hadn't realized how hungry he was.
He reached out and poured himself some Coke and skewered a piece of steak with the silverware that he'd also been provided, scooped up some mashed potatoes, corn, and grapes, and started digging in.
When he was about halfway through his steak, someone tapped him on the back.
Excited that it might be Lucy or Levy or even that weird Natsu kid, he spun around on the bench and saw that it wasn't any of them.
It was Lyon.
His eyes widened, and a chill ran down his spine, which wasn't a common thing for him to feel. He looked up at his former brother, who was smirking down at him, eyes dark.
"Gray Fullbuster. I didn't think you were going to come here."
Gray didn't say anything to this, just kept looking at Lyon and his light hair.
"What are you doing, mudblood?"
More shivers. "Mudblood" was about the lowest possible term you could ever call someone. It was a horrible slang term for someone who was Muggleborn, like he was.
"Don't call me that," he snapped.
Lyon shook his head, crossing his arms over his skinny chest. "I can't believe Ul took you in. And that you're here. I mean, come on, your parents deserved to die. They were just muggles. Mine didn't."
Gray took in a sharp breath. That was a whole new low that he didn't think even Lyon would hit.
He stood up. "Do not say that about my parents."
"Hmm...sit down, Mudblood."
Gray looked back behind him, seeing if anyone else had payed any attention to what was going on. Cobra was glaring at Lyon, his eyes narrowed, and Evergreen had her lips pursed and her eyes locked on Lyon too.
Gray turned back to Lyon, pushing his nose in Lyon's face. Suddenly, the bench was pushed back, and a hand was bunching up Lyon's collar. Gray moved back, and Jellal took his place. "Go back to your table, Hufflepuff," he spat, voice a growl.
"Okay, okay! Just let go of me!"
Jellal obeyed, and then pushed Lyon away harshly. Gray almost smiled at how scared Lyon looked as he practically sprinted back to his table.
Jellal sat back down, then looked back at Gray. "You're a muggleborn?"
"Yeah, uh...thank you."
Jellal shrugged, that little half-smile back on his lips. "I'm a muggleborn too."
Gray nodded, thinking maybe this boy could be his friend after all, even if he was a little creepy.
He looked back up at him one more time before he continued to eat, and, when the light caught his eyes, Gray realized one of the reasons that he thought this boy was so creepy in the first place.
One of his eyes was red.
Boom. Chapter 2; finished! I think the first mark of business is to say that yeah...since Cobra's first name is Erik, we were like "NAME HIM AFTER MAGNETO!", so that's why his last name is Lehnsherr. But also, please leave reviews as well; we'd like all the feedback we can get! Chapter 3 coming soon :)
