Chapter 3: The Four Houses of Hogwarts

oOoOo

The four of them quickly rushed off the train, eager to get their first glimpse at what would become their home for seven years. They weren't the only ones, as they saw other students hurrying onto the station.

"Firs' years! Firs' years o'er here! Firs' years to me!" a gigantic man with long, scraggly, black hair and a long beard flecked with grey shouted, waving to get the attention of the students.

"Is he a giant or something?" Conor whispered. "He's got to be one, how else could he be so tall?"

"That's Hagrid, and yes, he's half-giant," Teddy whispered back. "Don't bring it up with him though, my godfather said it's a rather touchy subject."

The other years went somewhere else, while the first years congregated around Hagrid.

"This everyone?" he asked, looking around.

Teddy thought they were still waiting for some others to arrive, but as he turned around, he saw the Hogwarts Express pulling out of the station, which only happened when all the students had disembarked. The small group of people around him had to be everyone.

"We're only thirty-four," Noelle whispered. "I guess most parents didn't want to risk having children during the War."

"Well, then, let's get goin', shall we?" Hagrid said. "I'm Hagrid, Groundskeeper o' Hogwarts, and the Care o' Magical Creatures professor. C'mon, follow me! Mind yer step!"

He led them down a narrow path surrounded by thick trees that blocked out most of the moonlight.

"We're almost there, jus' round the bend!" he called to them.

Sure enough, just around the corner, was Hogwarts Castle.

Teddy had heard many stories growing up about Hogwarts, but none of them could have prepared him for this. The castle was enormous, with turrets and towers reaching towards the stars in the sky, and the castle itself was atop a mountain bordered by a wide lake that, at this time, appeared to be pitch-black.

He glanced at his friends. Noelle was rocking back and forth on her feet in sheer excitement, while Conor was staring at the castle in pure awe, his mouth fallen open in surprise. Even Kyoko looked impressed.

Pointing at a fleet of small boats at the shoreline, Hagrid said, "Alright, no more'n four to a boat! Trust me, Hogwarts 's a lot better on the inside."

They moved to board a boat, and were quickly followed by Lloyd McCarthy, the boy Teddy had met in Madame Malkins'.

"Hey Teddy!" he greeted them cheerfully when he got in. "I can't wait, this place is amazing!"

"Wotcher, Lloyd!" Teddy grinned back.

Noticing Conor, Kyoko and Noelle, he asked. "Oh, are these your friends? Nice to meet all of you! I'm Lloyd."

"Nice to meet you too, Lloyd," Noelle smiled. "I'm Noelle, this is Kyoko and this is Conor." She gestured to Kyoko and Conor, who nodded curtly at Lloyd.

"Wait, Teddy, what happened to your hair?" Lloyd asked. "I swear it was lighter before."

"I'm a Metamorphmagus," Teddy grinned. "I can change stuff like this at will. Must have made it darker by accident earlier." He screwed up his face in concentration, and his hair turned a couple shades lighter.

"That's wicked!" Lloyd grinned. "Wish I could do that."

"You do realize we need to get to a boat, right?" Kyoko said, deadpan as usual.

"Wait, it's only four to a boat, and we're five," Noelle pointed out.

"I'll go, it's just a boat ride anyway. This doesn't really matter," Kyoko said before promptly walking off.

"I'll, uh, go join her then, don't want her to be alone there," Conor excused himself, before dashing off after Kyoko.

"Bit standoffish, aren't they?" Lloyd frowned while they were boarding their boat.

"They're alright, they're just not that open at first, really," Noelle told him. They were quickly joined by a blonde girl with dark blue eyes who introduced herself as Maple Rogers.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted from his own boat. "Right – FORWARD!"

The sudden movement nearly caused Teddy to lose his balance and fall into the lake, but thankfully, Noelle was able to grab him before he fell.

"Had a feeling that was going to happen," Noelle laughed slightly as she helped a red-faced Teddy back up.

The boats carried them through a pitch-black tunnel that seemed to be under the castle itself, and they docked at an underground shore.

Hagrid led the way with his lantern, taking them up many flights of steps until at last, they reached a huge, Oak door that was at least thrice Hagrid's size.

After checking once more to make sure no one had been left behind, Hagrid knocked thrice.

oOoOo

A tall, dark-skinned witch in glittering gold-coloured robes answered the door. She looked rather stern at first, but her eyes softened when she looked at the students.

"All the firs' years are here, Professor Sinistra," Hagrid told her.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take over from here," she replied. Gesturing to the students, she called out, "Come on, follow me."

They followed her through the gigantic entrance hall, which, Teddy thought, could have fit his house in Godric's Hollow ten times over. The great stone hall was almost silent, quiet enough for their footsteps to echo in the quiet night. They were ushered into a small empty room beside another set of doors that, Teddy realized, must lead into the Great Hall.

The thirty-four of them gathered in the room and stood together nervously. Some of them were looking around, trying to get their bearings in this giant castle.

"Welcome," Professor Sinistra began," to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This place will be your home for the next seven years, as you learn more about the different fields of magic present in our world. Before that, however, you will need to be Sorted into one of the four houses of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. All of these houses have produced great wizards and witches, whose names can be found even now in historical records. While you study here, your house will become your family. You will have classes with them, you will share dormitories and common rooms, and even sit at the same table at meals."

She continued. "While you are at Hogwarts, your victories and your successes will win house points, while rule-breaking and misconduct will lose house points. The House Cup will be awarded at the end of the year to the house that has accumulated the most house points throughout the year, so I do hope each of you will be a credit to your house."

After a pause, she said, "The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly. I recommend you be on your best behaviour, and perhaps some of you could smarten up while waiting. I will return for you shortly, kindly wait quietly."

The room fell silent as she left. The cavalier attitude he had about his Sorting over the summer vanished, leaving him tingling with nervousness. Looking around, Teddy could see that most of the students looked terrified, or at the least very, very nervous as well. Some, however, like Conor, Kyoko and a girl with long, dark red hair, seemed positively bored.

"What if we aren't in the same house?" Lloyd whispered to him. "Does that mean we won't see each other at all?"

"Different houses have classes together," he answered. "Besides," he said, glancing at the small group of first years, "This is a smaller year than normal."

"That's good," Lloyd sighed. "At least I won't be alone."

Teddy breathed in nervously. He had no control over the Sorting Hat's decision in the first place. It's not as if he could mess up anything here, right?

Professor Sinistra returned to usher them into the Great Hall.

oOoOo

Professor Sinistra came back and led them through two gigantic doors into a massive chamber. The ceiling of the chamber was enchanted to look just like the night sky outside, adding to the feeling of vastness the chamber seemed to project. The hall held the four long tables where the students of each house were seated. On the far side of the chamber, on a raised platform, was another long table where the different professors were seated, with the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, seated in an ornate chair at the middle. Much to the surprise of the Muggleborns, the silvery figures of the House ghosts were present as well.

Teddy's eyes, however, were drawn to the walls on either side of him. This was where all of the bodies of those who died in the fight against Voldemort were laid out during the ceasefire. In his mind's eye, he could see Mum and Dad here, their bodies laid on the floor, their eyes wide and unseeing.

"Are you alright?" Noelle asked him, worried.

"It's nothing," he brushed her off.

They were led through the center of the hall, between two of the long tables. They stopped at the foot of the steps leading to the professors' table, where a stool and an old, worn, and slightly burnt hat on a table waited.

"Wait, that's the Sorting Hat?" Conor whispered to him.

"Apparently," he whispered back. Out of nowhere, the hat began to sing.

For many years I have Sorted
As I will for all my days
To look at one's talent and heart
And send them on their way

Each thought, each hope one harbours
Whatever goal you strive for
I can see, for when you wear me
I see your very core

You might become a Gryffindor
Where the brave and just reside
When their strength and help are needed
They'll find no need to hide

Maybe you're a Ravenclaw
With knowledge and wit to spare
Those who have curious minds
Will find more wonders to share

Or you might be a Hufflepuff
Always there in times of need
For determination and loyalty
Are part of this House's creed

You could be a Slytherin
Where cunning and ambition are prized
Those who underestimate this House
Will continue to be surprised

This song won't last much longer
You've heard enough from me
You want to know where you belong?
Then put me on, and let's see!

All of the first years were whispering amongst themselves, their awe and wonder clear on their faces. They applauded with the rest of the school, and were quieted after a few seconds when Professor Longbottom cleared his throat.

"With that said," he smiled, "let the Sorting begin! When your name is called, please come up to the stool and place the Sorting Hat on your head. Once you are Sorted, please join your new House at its house table."

"Ackerman, Cedric!"

A nervous boy with black hair in bangs that fell over his face walked up the stool and sat while Professor Longbottom placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

"RAVENCLAW!" the Hat declared.

The table to Teddy's left started cheering as Cedric made his way down to them, though Teddy could spot a disappointed looking fifteen-year-old on the table to their right. The Ravenclaw house ghost, a tall, regal-looking woman in a long cloak, applauded quietly along with them.

"Andrews, Liam!" A bespectacled blond boy walked up nervously and put on the Sorting Hat.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Avery, Cordelia!" The red-haired girl Teddy had seen earlier walked up to the Sorting Hat and promptly sat on the stool.

"SLYTHERIN!" the house shouted, and Cordelia rushed off to join her table on the far right side of the Hall.

"Bletchley, Duncan!"

"SLYTHERIN!" Duncan smiled when he took off the Hat and rushed off to join Cordelia.

"Bradley, Lorcan" went to Gryffindor, "Borromeo, Julia" to Ravenclaw, and "Cadwallader, Lilina" became the first Hufflepuff of the year, and followed right after by "Carlyle, Olivia".

"Carter, Noelle!"

"Wish me luck," Noelle whispered to him as she walked up to the Sorting Hat.

Teddy waited for the Hat to call out her house, but for what seemed like an eternity, there was nothing but silence. Professor McGonagall was looking at Noelle with a newfound curiosity, and she glanced at Professor Flitwick. Before Teddy could put too much thought into what that look was supposed to mean, the hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Noelle opened her eyes and smiled, relieved, as she walked over and sat with Lilina and Olivia.

Still thinking about how long it took for Noelle to be Sorted, Teddy started paying closer attention to the Sorting. While some, like "Clearwater, Aimee" to Ravenclaw, "Donnelly, Amelia" to Gryffindor, and "Fawney, Deimos" to Slytherin, were Sorted almost immediately, others, like "Fong, Lyra" to Gryffindor, took longer. What puzzled him, however, is that no one else took as long as Noelle to be Sorted, at least so far.

Next was "Grier, Caleb", Sorted into Ravenclaw, followed by "Hall, Faith", who was Sorted into Hufflepuff.

Immediately after came "Lawson, Richard", and Teddy realized that it was almost his turn to be Sorted.

What house would Dad and Mom want me to be in? he thought. He had thought he wouldn't care about it before, but now, he couldn't help but wonder. Shaking his head, he thought to himself that Gran would tell him that it probably wouldn't matter much to them, as long as he was happy. It would be nice, he thought, to at least be in the same house as one of them.

He snapped back to reality when the Sorting Hat yelled out "GRYFFINDOR!", and he pushed those thoughts out of his mind for now.

"Lewis, Conor" was called.

Conor walked steadily up the stairs to the Sorting Hat, sat down, and placed the Sorting Hat on his head. From how his brow furrowed, he seemed to be in deep thought or even having a conversation with the Sorting Hat.

After seemingly another eternity passed, the Conor nodded, and the Hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" He turned and saw Kyoko's expression of mild surprise. With her, Teddy supposed, that was tantamount to someone else fainting from shock.

Conor, his face still expressionless, gave the Hat back to Professor Longbottom and walked over to join Noelle.

"Lupin, Edward!"

Teddy walked up nervously to the Sorting Hat. Noelle and Conor were both in Hufflepuff, but what if him, Kyoko and Lloyd were put somewhere else? Would they still be friends? He'd heard stories of friendships broken before the year started just because people were Sorted differently from Gran, and was utterly terrified of that possibility.

He sat down on the stool, and the next thing he knew, he was looking at the black interior of the Sorting Hat.

"Interesting, interesting," a voice in his head said. "You've got a good mind, I can tell. You want to set yourself apart… very determined, yes. Brave, as well. What to do with you…"

Teddy let his thoughts remain silent as the Hat continued to deliberate.

"Willingness to break the rules, yes, I ought to have expected that…very loyal, I see. Oh, this is a tough one…" it said.

"What do you mean?" he asked the Sorting Hat.

"There are times," it explained, "where a young witch or wizard would fit equally well in more than one house. They are few and far between, but they do exist. For you…you would do well in both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

"So what now?" he thought.

"You must remember that the Sorting is not only about who you are now," the Hat explained. "It is also about where you need to be."

He thought of Noelle and Conor. Was Hufflepuff where they needed to be? Is that why it took so long to put them there?

"Sometimes," the Hat began, "it is the student that needs the House. Other times, it is the House that needs the student. That decides it. You should be in…"

The Hat shouted to the Great Hall, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Teddy felt his heart lighten at these words. He was in the same house as Mom and Granddad, and he was with his friends as well! He rushed over to the cheering Hufflepuff table, and Noelle waved him over to a seat between her and Conor.

"This is so exciting, isn't it?" Noelle laughed. "Right, Conor?"

Conor, who still looked rather overwhelmed by the whole thing, could only nod. "I'm still trying to process all of this," he admitted.

As he sat down, "MacDougal, Apollo" and "Mavis, Selena" went to Gryffindor, then Lloyd was called. He rushed up the steps to the Sorting Hat, and after putting it on, only had to wait for a minute or so before being declared a Hufflepuff.

Lloyd joined them, grinning. "Nice to know I'm with familiar faces, isn't it?"

"Morris, Cara" went to Gryffindor, and the shock of the year came when "Morris, Cody", who seemed to be her fraternal twin, was promptly Sorted into Slytherin.

"Merlin's beard! That's practically unheard of!" Noelle gasped, as gasps and hushed whispers broke out among the entire Hall. Cody, however, seemed unperturbed in spite of Cara's venomous glare, and casually strolled over to the Slytherin table.

Conor glanced at her and asked dryly, "This is supposed to be a big deal?"

"Of course it is! Gryffindor and Slytherin have hated each other since, like forever!" Noelle explained.

"That's it?" Conor scoffed, unimpressed. "You'd have thought this bloke killed someone!"

"These things go way back," Teddy explained. "They hated each other even back in my Gran's time."

"And it's only gotten worse," Noelle added.

They were quickly joined by "Newton, Gwendolyn", and waited for Kyoko's Sorting. After "Payne, Oscar", ("RAVENCLAW!"), and the pair of "Reid, Sophia" and "Rodriguez, Alicia", both Slytherins, "Rogers, Maple", the girl from the boat, was called.

Maple bounced up to the Sorting Hat, which promptly declared, "GRYFFINDOR!" She gave the Hat back and ran off to join the table on the far left side of the hall.

"Seymour, Miranda!" The brown-haired girl standing beside Kyoko made her way up to the Sorting Hat, which promptly declared her a Slytherin.

"Tanaka, Kyoko!"

She walked up, as calm and stoic as ever, and put the Sorting Hat on. She stared out impassively at the Hall as the Sorting Hat deliberated on her House. After around two minutes, the hat nodded and declared her a Ravenclaw, much to Conor's visible disappointment. She walked down, shrugging in their direction and sat down next to Cedric Ackerman.

After Kyoko, only four first years were left. "Travers, Cephius" and "Verity, Grayson" went to Slytherin, and "Ward, Peter" was sorted into Gryffindor.

"Wood, Logan", a dark-haired Scottish boy who Lloyd had apparently sat with on the train, was the last to be Sorted. The Hat declared him a Gryffindor, and finally, the Sorting was over.

Once Professor Sinistra had put away the Sorting Hat, Professor McGonagall stood up. "For our new students, welcome to Hogwarts, and welcome back to our older students. I do hope that you all spent your summers wisely. Before we begin, I would like to give a few reminders to our older students and some ground rules for the newcomers. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch would like you to remember that magic in the corridors is forbidden, as well as, of course, the Forbidden Forest."

"Never would have guessed that," Conor muttered under his breath. Teddy snickered, until Noelle elbowed both of them, telling them to be quiet.

"The list of forbidden items is also posted outside his office, for those who need it. In addition to this, tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will also be scheduled within the next two weeks. More information will be provided by the assigned Quidditch captains."

"Wait, what's Quidditch?" Conor asked him and Noelle. "Sounds like a ditch filled with coins."

"Only the best sport there is!" she said indignantly.

Professor McGonagall continued. "Further instructions will be given to the first years by their House prefects. Now, I know it has been quite a long journey, so I will delay no longer. Let the feast begin!"

At these words, all sorts of food appeared on the tables. There were enormous roast chickens and turkeys, different pies, entire bowls full of baked potatoes…so much food that Teddy had no idea what to eat first.

"Wha…" Conor could only stare at first, completely gobsmacked at the sight in front of him. Lloyd and Noelle, on the other hand, were grabbing as much food as they could.

"You might want to hurry up, mate, otherwise you'll be left with the sprouts," Teddy joked.

"I could not think of a worse fate," Conor laughed, grabbing a leg of turkey and some potatoes.

There were eight first years in Hufflepuff, with Conor and Lloyd being the only other boys. Along with Noelle, there were four other girls: Lilina, a short blonde whose entire family had been in Hufflepuff; Olivia, whose family had apparently fled to the United States when Dumbledore died and only returned last year, explaining her very strong accent; Faith, a dark-skinned girl who didn't really talk much; and Gwen, a chubby Muggleborn girl with pigtails who, in contrast, was very, very chatty.

"Everything's so different!" Gwen gushed in awe. "Like, would you believe the Wizarding World's still in imperial?"

"Oh, don't get me started on that," Lloyd groaned. "I swear, why in the world are the coin conversions so difficult and stupid?"

"I wouldn't know, it's just simple math, after all," Conor said snidely. "And that's not even what she was talking about." Lloyd made a rude gesture in response.

The feast went on for what must have been hours, and by the end of dessert, Teddy felt like he couldn't handle another bite. The Hufflepuff prefects, Julie Simms and Andrew O'Hare, ushered them to the Hufflepuff Common Room, located near the kitchens.

"Remember, to get in, you tap this barrel," Julie said, pointing to the center barrel of the group of barrels to the side of the corridor, "to the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff."

She tapped out the rhythm, and they entered the Common Room.

It was a cosy room, filled with couches and throw pillows, with a fire roaring in the fireplace. There were tunnels that branched off to the sides, leading to the dormitories.

"Boys, take the tunnel to the left! Girls, take the tunnel to the right!" Andrew directed them.

"Well, see you tomorrow!" Noelle waved at them as she, Lilina, Olivia, Faith, and Gwen split off from them to go to their dormitory.

Teddy, Lloyd, and Conor went through the left tunnel until they reached a door that was labelled, First Year Dormitories. They opened the door to find all of their belongings inside along with three four-poster beds.

Looking at the clock that hung above the doorway, Conor said, "I don't know about you lot, but I'm going to bed. O'Hare said we have to be in the Great Hall tomorrow by seven to get our schedules."

"That might be a good idea," Teddy agreed, as he was starting to feel drowsy himself.

They all changed into their pyjamas, and Teddy drew the curtains around his bed shut. Gran and Uncle Harry were right. Hogwarts felt like home to him already. He waited for Conor and Lloyd to draw the curtains around their beds shut before creeping over to his trunk and removing the pictures he'd brought.

The first picture was of Mum and Dad's wedding. The two of them danced happily, with Mum's hair positively glowing neon pink. Dad looked dazed, as if he had not expected anything like this to be a possibility for him.

The second was also a picture of them, this time with a tiny baby that was rapidly changing hair colours. The picture of his birth was the only picture he had with all three of them together, just a normal family, before the Battle of Hogwarts took them away.

These pictures were all he had of his parents. Dad never had much, and almost all of Mum's things were destroyed in the war when Gran's house had been attacked and Granddad was forced to go on the run.

Running his finger over the picture of all three of them, he whispered, "Mum, Dad…are you proud of me?"

He was only met with silence. Pictures couldn't answer him, after all.

He carefully placed the pictures in his drawer, and went to sleep.