Hello! Here is Chapter Four! Originally, Darren's bat's name was Gavner, but it got changed to Austin. So if you see the name Gavner, it's where I missed a change
Disclaimer: Me.. no.. own.. Harry Potter.. or.. Cirque du Freak. (good Harkat impression? …No? ~.~)
Enjoy!
"Great Finders!"
"Darren. Get up," said Mr. Crepsley.
I jumped out of bed and was awake almost immediately. Today was the day I went to Hogwarts. The train supposedly left from Kings Cross Station, and Mr. Crepsley was going to flit besides the train, which stopped in Hogsmeade. In Hogsmeade, Mr. Crepsley would stay in the Shrieking Shack (which was roped off from the public) until I had my first Hogsmeade trip, during the first weekend of October. He would meet me in secret at the beginning of the trip and exchange the old bottles of blood with the new ones. It wouldn't be as healthy as fresh blood, but I could manage a term or two on it.
I double checked my bag to make sure I had everything in it, and stuck my wand in my pocket. I grabbed Austin, my fruit bat, and handed his cage to Mr. Crepsley. We were going to take a taxi to the train station, where I had to get onto platform 9 ¾. I didn't know if that station did its platforms in fourths, or if the ticket was wrong, but I supposed I would find out when I got there.
We managed to flag down a taxi (albeit a shabby one) and told the cabby our destination. Mr. Crepsley would have preferred to flit, but a man appearing out of nowhere with a kid on his back might raise suspicions, and we were trying to keep a low profile. We reached the station within twenty minutes and hurried inside. It was a quarter till eleven, but I didn't want to be late- incase my ticket was wrong. We got inside and looked at the platform numbers. Unfortunately, they weren't by fourths. I didn't see the point in talking to an attendant, he would probably think I was nuts, but I did walk up to platform 9. As we approached the platform, I saw the weirdest thing. There was a piece of black fabric that stuck out of the wall for a fraction of a second, and then it disappeared. I looked over to Mr. Crepsley who was staring intently at the wall. He must have seen it too. We cautiously approached the wall and tried to lay our hands on it. But instead of resting on the wall, our hands went right through it!
"This must be how we get to the platform," I stated.
"How observant of you" remarked Mr. Crepsley in a degrading tone.
We looked around to make sure no one was watching and casually walked through the wall, hoping we wouldn't fall into an endless abyss. When we made it to the other side we saw a bright red train. The side of it said "Hogwarts's Express," so I knew we came to the right place.
"Well, I guess this is it," I said.
"I suppose so. I shall see you in October."
"No hug?" I said with a grin.
"You are absurd," he said, but he gave me a short, stiff hug. My eyes widened in surprise- Mr. Crepsley almost never showed any signs of affection towards me.
"Quit gathering dust and get on your train," said Mr. Crepsley with a smirk.
"Get out of here you old bat," I said with a smile.
With those fond words of farewell I boarded the scarlet train. From the corner of my eye I saw Mr. Crepsley sneak around the back of the train to find a place to flit. I walked down the train until I found an empty compartment and I put my bags down and sat down on a seat. After a few minutes I got bored, so I decided to play with Austin. I picked up his cage from the floor and let him crawl onto my arm. I had tried to control him like I controlled Madame Octa, and to my surprise I could! I spent the next few minutes trying to convince him to fly until the door to my compartment opened. A few kids walked in, laughing, and immediately paused when they saw me.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" said a boy with cropped black hair.
"My name is Darren Shan. I am a new student here."
"New student? What year are you in? You don't look like a first year," said one of the twins who had followed in behind him.
"I'm in fifth year. I was homeschooled, but I finally convinced my dad to let me go to an actual school."
"Well if you need to know any secret passages, we're your men!" said the other twin. "My name is Fred, my slightly less handsome twin is George, and this fine fellow is Lee Jordan."
"Nice to meet you."
"I know. Do you want to buy a skiving snack box?"
"What's that?" I asked curiously.
"Well my good man, they are only the most efficient way to get out of class!" said George.
They sat down in the compartment with me and pulled out a box of sweets.
"Each of these sweets is a different way to get out of class," explained Fred. "This one here causes a nosebleed," he said while pointing to red nugget-like candy. "And this one causes you to vomit like mad," he said, this time with a purple chewy-looking candy.
"But we still haven't figured out how to make you stop throwing up," warned George.
"I think I'll stay away from those then," I said with a smile.
"You can buy a complete set for three Galleons if you'd like," offered Lee Jordan.
"Sure," I said, not wanting to offend my new friends.
I exchanged three gold coins for a large box of the candies. I stuck the box into my bag.
"Say, what's that on your arm?" asked Lee, pointing to Austin.
"Oh that's my new pet," I said, showing them the small bat.
"Wicked!" said the twins together.
We spent the next few minutes letting Austin crawl across our arms. Then we heard a shout.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?" came a woman's voice, knocking on our compartment door.
"Candy!" shouted all three of the boys in my compartment.
They rushed out to the hallway, where a woman was pushing a cart loaded with sweets. She rolled her eyes when she saw the boys- she must have been used to their behavior. After they bought an armful of candy, the woman turned to me.
"Would you like anything dearie?"
"Sure."
I walked up to the cart and scanned it for anything familiar. I saw all sorts of candy, but none I had ever heard of.
"What are Blood Pops?" I asked, pointing to a stack of red lollipops.
"They're lollies. Made with real blood! Most kids just get them for dares. Would you like some?"
"Yes please. And I would like some of those jellybeans, cakes, and I want to try a chocolate frog," I said.
"Anything else?"
"No thank you."
I traded one galleon for the candy and sat back down in the compartment.
"Blood Pops!" exclaimed Fred. "You have to be nutters to eat those!"
"I don't want them for me," I explained. "I want to use them in a prank."
"A man close to my own heart!" said George, clutching his chest dramatically.
The rest of the train ride was pretty uneventful. I ate a curtain flavored jelly bean and got a Merlin chocolate frog card, but that was pretty much it. It was getting dark outside and there was still no sign of the school.
"Hmm I think we should change into our robes now," commented Lee.
"Yeah, we must be close by now," agreed George.
As we changed into our robes George asked, "So, Darren, what house do you think you're in?"
"House?" I said confused.
"Yeah, you know, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin," he explained.
"Oh. I'm not sure. What house are you in?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"We're in Gryffindor. House of the brave and chivalrous!" said Lee, puffing his chest out.
"Quite down. The only thing chivalrous about you is your underpants," scoffed George, smacking his friends head.
Meanwhile, I was having a mental breakdown. I had no idea what a house was, or which I was supposed to be in. The twins and Lee were now throwing insults at each other, distracting them from my panic. I calmed myself before they turned back to me.
"You seem like a Gryffindor kind of guy, but as long as you're not in Slytherin, we'll talk to you in public," said George with a wink.
"What's wrong with Slytherin?" I asked.
Immediately, they all started ranting about how awful Slytherin is. Apparently that house was filled with stuck up prats and dark wizards. They continued trashing the house until the train came to a stop.
"Finally!" exclaimed the twins.
We got off the train and stood near a lake. Next to the lake stood a woman, she was talking to a few students at the moment, but I needed to ask her where I should go. I walked over to her once the students finished talking to her.
"Ma'am, I'm a new studen.." I began.
"Ah yes, the new fifth year," she said, cutting me off. "Stand in line behind me. You will ride in with the first years."
I did as she said and glanced around. There were smaller students standing around me. They all seemed around ten or eleven, so I guessed they were first years. After all the students were off the train, we boarded onto the tiny boats by the lakes edge. Most boats had three students, but I had no one with me. I supposed my scars and age scared away all the first years. The boats all took off, seemingly of their own accord, and headed down the dark lake.
A few minutes later I saw a light in the distance. I looked up and saw an enormous castle reflecting over a lake. So this is what Hogwarts looked like. I knew it would be big, but I had no idea how large it truly was. About half an hour later, we pulled up on shore. We climbed out of our boats and went ashore. The teacher who directed us to the boats led us into what looked like an entrance hall.
The hall was enormous, like the rest of the castle. Standing near the front of the line of first years, was a lady dressed in green. I laughed at the stereotypical witch hat and her stern expression. I wondered who would win a scowl contest between her and Mr. Crepsley. I bet it would be a close one!
"First years, please line up over here," said the stern woman, leading us to a room filled with students. "We will sort you alphabetically."
"Ah, you must be Mr. Shan," she said directly to me. "You will be sorted last since you are not a first year."
Of course I would be. As if I wouldn't attract enough attention already. I sighed and went to the back of the line.
"The sorting will now begin!" said the woman.
She placed a grubby hat on a stool, and to my (and the first years) surprise, it began to sing!
In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And to pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach!"
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach just those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name."
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A House in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the Houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears,
The Houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders dour
Were whittled down to three
Have the Houses been untied
As they once were meant to be
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further.
Listten closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And I must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, I know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within.
I have told you, I have warned you…
Let the Sorting now begin.
(End of stupidly long song :/ )
Applause broke out around the room, but so did lots of murmuring. I guess the hat didn't normally sing warnings or something
"Abercrombie, Euan," the lady in green called out.
A short boy scrambled up the stool and jammed the hat on his head. After a moment or two, the hat yelled "GRYFFINDOR!"
As the hat continued sorting kids into their respectful houses, I thought about its song. If even hats knew about Voldemort's growing army, why didn't the news publish anything about it?
"Zeller, Rose," the girl in front of me, was finally called. "HUFFLEPUFF" was yelled after a minute. It was my turn to be sorted.
"Shan, Darren," said the strict looking professor.
Lots of murmuring broke out as I walked to the stool. The last thing I saw before the hat fell over my eyes were hundreds of eyes staring at me.
"Well, this is new" a voice said inside my head. I nearly jumped in surprise.
"I could say the same thing" I responded.
"True enough," the hat agreed. "I don't think I've ever sorted a vampire, much less a Prince!"
"I don't think I've ever been sorted by a hat.. I guess there's a first time for everything."
"Hah. Quite the sense of humor you have there. Now let's see.."
"You're smart, but in a roundabout way, not book smart like most Ravenclaws. You're not pureblood, or half-blood for that matter, but I must admit there is a slight bit of Slytherin in you. As for bravery, it is there. You would do well in Gryffindor, but there is one quality about you that stands out."
"What is that?" I asked.
"Your loyalty. You gave up your human life for a friend and nearly gave up your vampire life for another. Your loyalty to your clan shows in your mission here. You are risking your life for three men, who most would dismiss as dead. So I think you've got the right stuff, to belong in
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Well, Darren is a Hufflepuff! In HP crossovers, the main character almost always gets put in either Gryffindor or Slytherin, but contrary to popular belief, there are other houses. Originally, I thought about putting him in Ravenclaw, but I think Darren would do well in Hufflepuff. They are pretty brave, as seen in the Battle at Hogwarts, (next to Gryf, Huff had the most people fighting) and Darren is a pretty dang good friend. "Oh you're dying? Let me become a vampire, fake my death, and lose my family for you!" (granted, it was his fault, but still!)
P.S props to who knows what the chapter name means!
Blood and Guts,
-Rebarbative