The night was really cold. James and Fred tried to protect themselves from the cold but Lance, by other hand, just breath deeply and smiled.
"Nice weather to a big dinner, right?"
The two cousins looked puzzled at each other, so at him, how could him just not feel it was freezing? Principally in that uniform?
"First-years, over here!" Hagrid called the first year students, the trio quick joined him.
"Hey Hagrid!" James waved.
"All right James? Fred? Who are you new friend?"
"Lance Robinson, sir." Lance smiled but it didn't las too long.
"What's wrong?" Fred asked him.
"Just missing home, don't need to worry."
"We not even arrived and you're already missing home? How do you expect to survive at the school's year?" James laughed.
"I will survive." Lance muttered.
They followed Hagrid in silence by a narrow patch to the border of a lake. Lance's jaw droped open as he saw the castle in the distance. It was so big... He could bet bigger than any castle he could even had seen, not that he had seen so much.
"It's the school?!" He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. "It's amazing! I could get lost in there."
"Oh, I finally heard something good today." They heard Drake's voice just behind them.
"Repeat it if you have courage." Lace ordered, turning angry at him.
James and Fred held their friend by the arms.
"Calm down Lance." James asked, but pulling an angry Lance to one boat.
"It will have payback." Both cousins muttered with an evil smirk.
Lance smirked too, catching their thoughts.
"Now you guys are talking my language."
"What are you three planning?" An unrecognized voice asked and a girl reached them.
This new girl had long, wavy, black hair by her waist and chocolate-brown eyes.
"And you are..." James raised an eyebrow.
"Rebecca Johnson." She shook each one's hand. "You two I don't need to ask. Potter and Weasley, right?" Both nodded. "But you is?" She asked Lance.
Lance was distracted fitting the water and didn't reply.
"Hey, want to see a thing?" The girl whispered to James and Fred.
Before they could react or reply, she pushed Lance on the water and burst on laugh, being imitated by the boys.
"Ah, you think it's funny?" Lance asked with an evil smirk. He disappeared for a moment so threw himself leaning on the edge of the boat, causing it to turn upside down and knocking the other three in the water. They emerged laughing, soon
Hagrid passed by them is his boat.
"You're okay?" He asked. The four nodded, still laughing.
"What happened?" Hagrid put the boat at the right position.
"Just and accident." Lance replied quickly, pulling himself back to the boat, the others followed him.
"We're okay Hagrid." James told him. "Lance just gave a too close look on the lake and knocked us." He laughed.
"Yeah, we're okay." Fred added.
"Good, be carefull next time." Hagrid replied.
"We will." James assured.
But now things were worst to James, Fred and Rebecca, the time was still cold and now they were totally wet, dying of cold and hungry too. But they were surprised this seemed haven't afcted Lance.
James was about to ask him about it as they arrived a kind of underground harbor and Lance climbed out the boat and rushed to Hagrid. The trio climbed out too and followed the group by a passageway in rock to finally reach the castle grounds. A woman was already waiting them in front of the huge, oak doors.
"C'mon dears, enter and let the cold out." She smilled happily and stepped aside to give them passage, they entered and she followed them. "Well, soon you'll be starting your first year here at Hogwarts, but before that you will be selected in one of the school's houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin or Hufflepuff. Each house has a great history and great wizards and witches who have studied there. I hope you do your best to be a new source of pride for your house; they will be your family while you are here. Throughout the year, every right thing you do your house will yield points while if you do wrong you will make them lose points. Later in the year, the house with the most points will be presented with the House Cup. And remember, friendship is the most important, along with the dedication to studies. Now wait here while I see if everything is ready. I will soon come pick you up."
"What about her?" Rebecca asked her new friends.
"I think I already have a fav teacher." James smirked.
"She's a little to rebel to a teacher." The girl said.
"Who cares?" Fred shrugged. "She's cool."
Rebecca rolled her eyes.
"Boys." She sighed. "So, you two know how will be this selection? Kind of a test?"
"Oh, nothing to worry." James assured her. "it will be easy and wouldn't hurt." But he thought was fun not tell her exactly how was the selection.
So they heard an explosion and looked at Lance, who had managed to, somehow set fire on the border of his vest.
He quickly extinguished it, but now he couldn't stop to laugh. Everyone was looking at him, some disapproving, some confuse and others holding their laughs.
"Oh, right, he set fire on his clothes and what's so funny?" James heard Drake ask to the boy at his side.
"Mudblood. Just can be." The other stated, shocking his head in disapprobation.
"What happened?" Fred asked Lance, also laughing.
"I don't know. I just hold my wand and suddenly something exploded and set fire on me."
The teacher returned, still with a big smile and called,
"Form a line here and follow me!"
The teacher led them to the Great Hall, and Rebecca only then remembered that she had not been presented. This was not normal for a teacher.
The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the Hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. They stoped in front of a stool. Lancelooked upwards and saw a velvety black ceiling with grey clouds and one or another rare star, it looked exactly like the sky outside and he imagined it was a reflection of it, like the ceilling of his bedroom, except it was created by magic instead tecnology.
On top of the stool the teacher who was leading them put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. James and Fred's eyes shinning in expectation, while Lance and Rebecca seemed extremely confuse.
For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth – and the 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 folk 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 whole Hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
The teacher stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She instructed. "Adams, Richard!"
A blonde boy come from almost the end of the line, almost running to the stool and sat down, looking a little pale. The sorting hat didn't took so much to announce:
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The boy ran to the table on the right under the cheer and claps of the students on there.
"Angel, Stella!"
"GRYFFINDOR!" Shouted the hat.
This time the pale girl with platinum-blonde hair was warm recepted on the table at the far left.
"Baker, Leonard!" Drake's friend walked proudly to the stool and as soon as the hat touched his head it already announced:
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Not a surprise." James muttere to Fred and the two laughed.
A few names later the teacher called Troy Drake, who imediattely turned a Slytherin too.
Lance shoved a piece of chocolate into his mouth as Rebecca's name was called and sorted to Ravenclaw.
Both, Fred and Lance wished lucky to James when his name was finally called. He smiled at his friends and ran to the stool, as he expected gryffindor was his imediate fate and as he sat down next to a red-haired girl who he already had forgotten the name his cousins came to congrats him.
It let the others more nervous.
Lance was almost in the end of his chocolate when his name was called. He gulped nervously and needed a slight push of Fred to finally walk to the stool. He passed a whole minute there to finally be sorted to Gryffindor.
James thought Lance seemed a lot frightened to a Gryffindor, but said nothing when the boy came sit at his side.
But when Fred walked to them he hadn't the same consideration.
"You seems a lot pale Lance, what's the matter?" He asked with a playfull smile.
"Nothing guys. I'm just hungry. I passed a lot from my dinning time."
"Well, he have a point." James agreed.