MMM: This story is really killing my fingers here! I was able to write up 3 different chapters for this within one day, and each is about 3000 words long! And that's not counting the times I re-read through something, deleted it, and re-wrote it!
AC: Alright, alright! We get it! You've done a lot of writing today! But can we please continue? I want to get to my first day of classes already!
MMM: Alright then... But you won't be starting classes in this chapter.
AC: Why not? *whimpers like puppy*
MMM: Because you still need to be sorted! And that is enough for a chapter as it is! I promise that you'll have your first day next chapter, ok?
AC: Alright... Well, megamatchmaker doesn't own the HP series.
Ch. 4 The Sorting
The only thing Anya could do when the large door opened was stare in awe at the wonder that was Hogwarts. With its tall walls, majestic statues, and marble staircase all cast in the soft gold glow the torches emitted, little Anya felt as though she had just fallen into one of her fairy tale books. 'If this is what I have to look forward to for the next seven years, then I might never leave!' she thought as she looked around to take in all the beauty and splendour, not even noticing when Hagrid had left them all in the entrance hall.
"Can I have your attention please?" a voice announced, bringing the attention of all the first years to a severe-looking woman dressed in emerald green robes, a black pointed hat, and square-shaped glasses. "Welcome to Hogwarts. In a few minutes, you will be brought to the Great Hall and sorted into your houses; they are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumpks will earn you points; any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup. I will be back for you shortly; please wait here quietly," and with that all said and done, the woman quickly left.
"It's true then," another voice spoke up once the teacher had left. Anya looked around to see that ther person who had just spoken was a very pale faced with perfectly slicked back, platnium-blonde hair who standing on the other side of the staircase. "What they're saying on the train? Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."
'Harry Potter? 'The Boy Who Lived' Harry Potter? Seriously?' Anya thought as she leaned back against the railing to try and see him.
"This is Crabbe and Goyle. And I'm Malfoy," the blonde said, moving to stand in front of a boy with very messy dark locks and round glasses that looked tarnished. "Draco Malfoy." At that, the boy beside Harry- a freckle faced redhead- snorted, which brought Malfoy's attention to him.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Read hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley," Malfoy sneered and Anya saw the redhead ears slowing start to turn red, almost disappearing against his hair. Malfoy then turned back to Harry. "You'll soon learn that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand.
Harry just looked down at the offered hand before replying cooly, "I think I tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks." Malfoy just gave him a look and was probably about to make some sort of comeback when another voice spoke up.
"Dragon Bad-faith," he heard and turned to see the lovely violet-eyed girl standing there.
"What was that?" he asked. Anya looked up from examining her nails, realizing that she had actually spoke her thoughts out loud.
"Oh sorry. I just meant that's your name- well, what it means anyway. You see, the word 'Draco' is the Latin version of the word 'dragon'. As for your last name, it sounds very similar to the French phrase 'mal foi,' which translated to Englsih means 'bad faith'. So your name quite literally translates to 'Dragon Bad-faith'," Anya explained, gaining more than her fair share of stares from the other students around her.
Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy was quite stunned. Although he had pretty much just been humiliated in from of his fellow students, both by the famous Harry Potter and a complete stranger, he could do nothing but just stare at the girl. She was very pretty, with lovely auburn locks that hung so perfectly around her heart-shaped face and sparkling eyes of the most amazing shade of purple. He had honestly never seen anyone so lovely.
As he was about to reply though, the older witch had returned with a roll of parchment in hand and tapped him once on the shoulder before turning to the rest of the new students.
"We're ready for you now. Follow me, please."
,:~:,
The Great Hall was just as wonderful as the rest of the school. Thousands of lit candles floated above the four long tables where the older students all sat, the light reflecting off of the golden plates and goblets. At the opposite end of the hall was another table where the teachers all sat and Anya saw Professor Dumbledore sitting in the center. When the older gentleman saw her, he smiled and sent an encouraging smile her way.
"It's not real, the ceiling," Hermione whispered to Anya who looked up past the candles to see not any actual ceiling but the starry night sky.
"Yeah, I know. It says in Hogwarts, A History that the ceiling's bewitched so that it reflects the sky outside," Anya answered as they kept walking. "You're not the only one who read the books before coming here, you know," she added when she saw the surprised look on the brunette's face. She then brought her attention back to the front to see the teacher from before place a small stool down with an extremely ratted, dirty, and worn out hat resting on top of it.
'What the hell are we going to do with that?' Anya thought. 'Don't tell me we're suppose to pull a rabbit out of it or something! How pathetic can you get?' Then suddenly, the hat twiched before a large seam opend near the rim and it began to sing;
Oh you may not think me 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!
When the hat was finished with its song, it bowed to each of the four tables in front of it as the applause rang out before going still once again. 'Wasn't expecting that one,' Anya thought as she clapped with the rest of the crowd. 'A hat that sings... Go figure!'
"When I call your names, you will come forth, I will place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses," announced the woman, who Anya finally knew to be Professor McGonagall. The students began to come up one by one and a few seconds after it was plaed on their head, the sorting hat would shout out the house the student was placed in. Finally, Anya was called.
The sorting hat was extremely large; once placed onto her head, it fell over Anya's eyes and shrouded her in complete darkness. The poor girl nearly jumped right off the stool when she heard someone start talking in her ear.
"Well, well... Ms. Collins. Now you're quite the mystery, aren't you? You're very brave, that much is sure. You're quite a little risk taker, aren't you? There's nothing that you won't try. And you're a very loyal person; you put the well-fair and trust of your friends very high and they can always rely on you and trust that you'll be there for them. Hmm... you're also quite the bookworm? Literature is one of your many passions; enough that if neither music nor dance become your future, you wish to become a writer. And although you get along with practically everyone you meet, there are a few who do not settle well with you and I almost pity those who don't. Now where shall I put you?"
'Please, just put me somewhere I can actually belong! PLEASE!' Anya thought, the urge to twist her fingers nervously beginning to claw at her.
"Where you can belong, hmm?" the hat asked. "Well then... The only place I can think of for you would be... GRYFFINDOR!" Anya grinned like there was no tomorrow as the cheers errupted and the hat left her head. She stood to find that her clothes had taken on the proper colors for her new house, the small crest with the golden lion sitting on her chest. Anya was so excited that when she got to the stairs, she turned around to face the teachers' table and flipped backwards to land perfectly at the bottom, earning herself more cheers. She gave the teachers a sheepish smile before jogging over to the table.
"Hi there," Anya heard two people say as she sat down and she turned around to see two older twin boys with the same ginger-red hair coloring as the Weasley boy, figuring they were all siblings. "Would you like a sweet?" one of the boys offered, holding out an oddly colored candy.
"Fred! George! Don't go starting that again!" a third redhead scolded them. "Do I have to go telling Mum that you were pulling pranks on first years before school even started?" He then turned Anya, pushing his thick, black glasses up on his nose. "Sorry about that. I'm Percy Weasley, and these two trouble-makers are my brothers, Fred and George." He pointed to the youngest who was still waiting to be sorted. "And that is our youngest brother, Ron. He'll probably be in most of your classes, Anna."
"It's Anya," she corrected him before turning back to the twins. "And as for you guys, I'd suggest that you'd better think twice about who to prank in the future. I've pulled some of the best pranks in the past year alone then you probably have in your lives combined!"
"Ooh! A fellow prankster!" one of the twins grinned.
"That should be refreshing!" the other answered. "Finally someone for us to pass on our comical knowledge to!" He then held his hand out. "I'm Fred."
"And I'm George," the other twin said as he took Anya's free hand. Anya noticed that the only thing that seperated these twins was that George had a small mole on the side of his neck while Fred had none. 'Now I've got them!' After many years of trying to figure out which twin was Emily and which was Irene, Anya wasn't going to make the same mistake again and let them confuse her for the next several years.
"Granger, Hermione!" McGonagall announced and Anya quickly turned back around to see her friend sit down, giving her a thumbs up just as her eyes disappeared behind the sorting hat.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted and Hermione skipped down the steps and down the length of the table. Anya grinned and gave her friend a one-armed hug when she sat down.
Neville had also became a Gryffindor, which seemed to please him greatly, though he did receive a few taunts and teases when he ran back to the stool when he realized that he still had the sorting hat on his head. "Way to go Neville!" Anya cheered as her friend came back over, reaching across the table to give him a high five.
The sorting hat continued to place the new students into their houses; mostly between Gryffindor and Slytherin with the exception of a small handful into Hufflepuff and even fewer into Ravenclaw. Draco Malfoy and his 'friends' were put into Slytherin- much to Anya's pleasure- while the famous Harry Potter and his friend Ron joined Anya and the others in Gryffindor.
After the last student had been sorted, Professor Dumbledore said a few words that made no sense what-so ever before food magically appeared on the tables. Anya saw several types of meats, different styles of potatoes, steamed vegetables, plenty of gravy and other sauces, and even mint humbugs. Everything was simply delicious and by the time she was finished with her plate, Anya was quite full... though she still was able to squeeze in a few small pastries along with a bite or two of the most delicious banana ice cream she ever had.
It was halfway though the meal itself that Anya saw something as equally amazing as the rest of the school. About twenty or so pearl-white ghosts came into the Great Hall, some by the floorboards, the higher parts of the walls, or even small cracks in the windows or wooden doors. The best was seeing one ghost suddenly appear by sticking his head through the table and a large plate of chicken wings- just as Ron went to grab one. Anya laughed at the girlish squeal that came out of Ron's mouth.
"Hello Sir Nicholas. Have a nice summer?" Percy asked the ghost.
The cheery smile on Sir Nicholas' face instantly vanished. "Dismal. Once again, my request to join the Headless Hunt has been denied," he- answered as he came out the rest of the way from under the table to show his garb that reminded Anya of William Shakespeare's era, cape and all.
"I know you!" Ron exclaimed, suddenly finding his voice once more. "You're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I prefer 'Sir Nicholas' if you don't mind," the ghost shot rather curtly.
"'Nearly Headless'?" Hermione asked in a tone that sounded a lot like a scoff. "How can you be nearly headless?"
"Like this," and he pulled at his hair, his head coming nearly clean off his neck save for the few strands of skin and muscle tissue. Anya looked over at her friend to see Hermione's eyes clamped shut and couldn't help the little bubble that escaped past her lips. Seemingly enjoying the reaction he received, Sir Nicholas shrugged his shoulder to get his head back on in place before he floated away.
"Ahern," Anya heard from the teacher's table to see Professor Dumbledore standing again. "Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Anya heard a few people chuckle thinking that it was a joke, but even from her place nearly at the other end of the Hall, Anya could tell the man was being serious.
Then he pulled out his wand and waved it around as thoug he were flicking a fly off the end until a long, gold ribbon came fluttering out of the tip. "Everyone pick a tune and off we go!"
Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something, please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.
Anya finished rather faster than most of the school since she was singing in a more pop/country music sort of tone. After that, Dumbledore sent everyone off to bed.
,:~:,
Anya was sitting by the window beside her bed late that night. The other girls- Hermione, the Patil twins, a few others- had already gone to sleep, leaving Anya alone and to her thoughts. Well, Starshine was sitting beside her, but he could only do so much.
Seeing as there was nothing else for her to do, Anya got up and went to get some paper, ink, and a quill from her trunk before settling back down on the floor and began to write.
Dear Mom and Dad,
So I finally got some time to write to you guys today.
I'm at Hogwarts and it is just wonderful! I swear, it's like I fell back in time to the Renaissance era, it's so beautiful! You'd love it here. The school is this MASSIVE castle that has the most beautiful view of the water front and is surrounded by forestry; trying taking a swim or hike over here Dad!
Anyway, I got into the Gryffindor house along with Hermione and Neville- you remember, the boy that helped us out over at King's Cross? And remember that kid I had read about in my school books, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived? The kid that defeated the wiarding world's most dangerous wizard of all time, Voldemort? Well, he's here and he's in Gryffindor too. He seems really nice- I haven't really talked to him or anything, so I can't really tell. But he did stick up for his friend, so that makes him ok in my book.
So classes are starting tomorrow and I'm so pumped! Can hardly wait to see what they plan on teaching us here for our first day! And I get my first flying lesson tomorrow too! So excited! And don't worry Mom, I'll be careful! Besides; it's the first lesson- I doubt they're going to have us fly anywhere near two two stories high. For all I know, I won't even be able to get my feet up off the ground!
Everything's going well and I can't wait to tell you guys about my first week. Hope to hear from you soon. Take care of yourselves- and that means no exerting yourselves with the store- and tell Irene and Emily I say 'hi'!
All my love,
Anya
After folding the letter up into a good make-shift envelope, Anya sealed it and attached it to a friendship cord and tied it to Starshine's leg.
"Take this to Mom and Dad, 'kay?" she whispered to the owl who simply hooted his reply. She smiled and placed a small peck on the top of his feathered head before opening the window and let him take flight. She watched Starshine fly off into the night until he became no more than a speck against the full moon before she closed the window and climbed into bed. That night when she fell asleep, Anya Collins wished for the new day to come faster.
AC: I'm in Gryffindor! I'm in Gryffindor!
MMM: Of course you're in Gryffindor! How else could you be part of the 'Golden Trio'- or in this case, the 'Golden Quartet'?
AC: Well I- I mean- shut up! *huffs and walks off*
MMM: 5th chapter will be posted on the 3rd of December.
Read and Review!
Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)