iv.
Nora drew a single black line through the final box on the calendar behind the desk in her father's study and climbed down from Aramis' leather chair to admire her work. Her footsteps were hushed by her socks and she padded down the parquet floor of the corridor to return to her bedchamber; an empty trunk dominated the once-spotless middle of her floor surrounded by neatly organized piles of school supplies. Her acceptance letter lay discarded atop a waist high stack of assorted books and her possessions were organized in a linear fashion to follow the list that had been enclosed among her letter. She had spent the last few weeks systematically packing, unpacking, and repacking her items until she was certain nothing had been accidentally overlooked. For the most part, she had kept to her wing of the estate and left only to take her meals in silence; her father was away exploring a treasure cache discovered on an island in the Mediterranean for Gringotts and her mother's distress over Nora's acceptance to Hogwarts had her starting and ending the days with a glass of wine clutched in her hand.
Since the arrival of her letter, Noreen had taken to avoiding her daughter by excusing herself from breakfast and leaving her in Camille's care; this equally suited Nora, who in turn was becoming increasingly short with her mother. Instead, the child spent her time immersed in her new books, beginning with Hogwarts: A History in an effort to learn as much about her new school as possible before the start of the term. Camille had warned her carefully that she was not permitted to do magic outside of school until she came of age, thus her wand remained in its peeling leather box awaiting her first day of classes. Aramis had returned home that afternoon, albeit later than intended as usual, but was to accompany his family to see his only daughter off to school the next morning. At his request, the entire family including the infant Alexander and his nurse enjoyed a rare dinner crowded together around the vast dining room table; Nora peered pensively at her reflection in the glossy polished surface as everyone ate in silence.
"How are we going to get to King's Cross?" She inquired, finally breaking the silence with a question that had been nagging at her for days. Her father chuckled and smiled affectionately at his daughter as he gestured between himself and Noreen; he had been in good spirits despite the dark circles under his eyes.
"Your mother has arranged an inconspicuous method of transportation for us," He assured her and winked surreptitiously as his wife pressed her lips together in disapproval, sipping quietly from her wine glass. The infinitesimal ascent of his eyebrows as Aramis gauged his wife's intake did not go unnoticed by their daughter, though his attention was diverted when Alexander hurled his spoon at Nora's water goblet. It promptly exploded into glittering pieces as the baby began to wail in despair and the adults rose to their feet in unison to tend to him. To Nora's relief and at her mother's demand, dessert was served promptly following the cleanup and she was excused shortly thereafter to return to packing. She began mechanically placing her possessions into her trunk until everything fit together like puzzle pieces and she was able to do a final check of her list.
Her room felt oddly empty with all of her possessions stored neatly in her trunk for the final time as she lay in bed and gazed up at the ceiling; the clock had chimed minutes prior to remind her that it was nearly two in the morning, but she found herself too excited and anxious to sleep. Instead, she tossed and turned fitfully until she resigned to get up at 6 o'clock sharp and dragged her tired bones out of bed. Not wanting to be seen in public wearing her billowing black Hogwarts robes, Nora dressed simply in a soft gray dress and black tights before making her way to the dining room. Camille was the only member of the house that was awake and Nora found her setting the table for breakfast, sipping from a cup of strong, black coffee as she always had. She smiled at the child fondly as the blonde stood gazing across the grounds of the estate in silence; she bore a striking resemblance to her mother that particular morning. Breakfast proceeded quickly; Nora was entirely too anxious to do more than pick at the heaping pile of eggs and bacon that Camille placed before her, but she made sure to eat enough to satisfy her during the long journey to Hogwarts. Several times she noticed the housekeeper's eyes well up with tears as she beamed proudly at the child, though she was careful not to draw attention to the reaction.
The car that arrived was sleek and shiny jet black, its windows tinted dark enough to obscure the passengers from view; the driver was quick to assist Aramis in loading his daughter's impossibly heavy trunk into the vehicle. She exercised extreme patience with Camille during their tear-filled goodbyes, reminding her that holidays were already not far off; the car's engine purred as they made their way down the drive leading from the manor. The estate shrunk into the distance until it was the size of a postage stamp on the ground far below them. Nora's head snapped around as she looked on either side of the vehicle; fluffy white clouds zipped past the closed windows and her mouth fell open in shock as the family flew towards King's Cross station. Her father chuckled at his daughter's reaction.
"I told you we would be inconspicuous," Aramis reminded her as she gazed, awestruck, at the view below. The driver merged effortlessly as he landed on a freeway and joined Muggle traffic; Nora was stunned that not one of the other drivers even batted an eye at the sight of an automobile hurtling across the London skyline.
The station was a vast building filled with platforms that connected the various trains, which were assembled and numbered in a linear fashion; Nora's father loaded her trunk onto a cart and began to push it down the line of platforms. She counted as the plastic numbers on the wall above their heads ascended until the family stood directly between platform nine and ten, a blank stretch of wall before them. Aramis wheeled her cart around and gave her a gentle nudge forward towards the barrier, directing her path straight at the brick. Glancing at her surroundings, she began to notice that, despite being dressed inconspicuously, there were other children her age toting equally large trunks on their carts. A golden cage rested atop one boy's trunk, holding a mottled gray owl fast asleep with its head under its wing; another girl blowing impossibly large bubbles with a wad of chewing gum wore a shirt that read The Weird Sisters emblazoned across the chest as a tabby cat wound between her feet. One boy was walking directly at the barrier between platforms, his stride a light jog as he weaved through the endless stream of people; Nora tried to cry out and warn him of what he was going to run into, but by the time the crowd had subsided, the boy had vanished. Nora's mouth hung agape in shock and she turned to her father, demanding answers.
"What you need to do," he began, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Is walk straight at the wall between platforms; try not to stop and don't be afraid of crashing into it. If you get nervous, it's best to run."
She wheeled her trolley around and stared at the unforgiving stretch of brick; the wall was inarguably solid and a collision with it was likely to be jarring. Nora started to walk slowly toward the wall, strangers jostling her on either side as the Muggles bustled to go about their daily lives; her heart was pounding in her chest as she increased her pace until she was at a light run. The rough bricks drew closer still and she squeezed her eyes shut and braced for the impact of her trolley against the barrier. After several seconds of running she stopped, panting slightly, and peeked behind her.
When Nora turned to glance over her shoulder, a wrought-iron archway stood against the solid wall of the barrier that she had walked through only moments before, the top reading Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. A brilliantly scarlet steam engine stood next to a platform belching great clouds of smoke over the heads of the people that swarmed around it excitedly. A sign over head read in gleaming gold letters Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock; the air was hazy with steam as several cats darted between peoples' legs and hissed at one another. Owls hooted reproachfully as they ruffled their feathers inside of cages; it was clear that the clamor made the creatures anxious. The babble of students and the scraping of heavy trunks being loaded onto the train was deafening. There were delighted squeals as friends reunited after a long summer holiday, first-year mothers dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs as they said teary goodbyes, and raucous laughter coming from a group of older boys that stood with their heads bowed towards one another.
Her father pushed her trunk on a cart until they came to the very last compartment on the train; once there, he busied himself with trying to heave his daughter's heavy trunk into a corner to no avail. As if on cue, a boy older than Nora appeared at his elbow; his emerald sweater made it clear that he belonged to Slytherin House and he gestured towards the front of the train, shaking his head and smiling.
"First year?" Nora nodded in silence, preoccupied with taking in every face that walked by her, and the boy offered her father a handshake. "I'm Alexander Harlowe, prefect for Slytherin House," he pointed at the shiny silver pin on the front of his robes, emblazoned with a single letter P. "We're actually seating first years at the front of the train currently. I can give you a hand, if you'd like." Aramis grinned as the boy took one handle and hoisted the heavy cargo off of the ground. The group pressed through the crowd that was beginning to thicken as more students and families arrived at the platform; glancing into compartments, Nora noticed quickly that they all had at least one occupant. The group finally located a compartment that was empty; thanking the boy for his help, Aramis shook his hand and loaded Nora's trunk into the far corner. A whistle sounded overhead and the floor beneath their feet gave a rumble as the steam engine came to life. Her stomach knotted nervously and she turned to her father with her face full of questions, eyebrows knitting together as her eyes checked her surroundings to be faced with the cold realization that her mother was nowhere to be found. A sigh escaped her father's lips; it was clear Noreen's absence had not gone unnoticed.
"You mustn't be bitter towards her, you know. She does love you," Aramis' quiet voice sliced through her musings like a sword as he cupped his daughter's chin in his hand and raised her face to meet his gaze; Nora rolled her eyes, reluctant to have this discussion. Her father suddenly pulled her forward, crushing her to his chest in a tight hug, and when he spoke again his voice was low and rough as though he was trying not to cry. "Be good. Be safe. Be smart."
The whistle sounded again and the floor shifted under their feet; the train was beginning to pull out of the station. As soon as he released her, Aramis was gone, leaving Nora to rush to the nearest window and lean as far out as she could to wave. Her father's clean shaven face was glistening with tears as the train began to pull out of the station and build speed until it had rounded a bend and disappeared out of sight; Nora's heart leapt excitedly in her chest and she sat back in her seat to take a deep breath, mind reeling with the morning's events. She had almost forgotten that she was alone when the compartment door slid open and another girl stuck her head inside, ignoring Nora as she entered dragging her trunk; an older girl whose robes also bore a silver P badge shoved the far end until it was nestled snugly in the corner opposite Nora's.
"Sorry, the front's filling up quickly so we might need to triple up on occupants," She shrugged and winked boldly at Nora. "There's so many of you lot this year, we're going to have to feed some of you to the giant squid." The girl laughed unnecessarily hard at her own joke as she gestured her accompanying first year inside and left Nora to face her. She shook her head of blonde curls in disgust before dropping her backpack on the seat and moving to slide the door closed; once she was inside, she drew the shade on the door and took her seat.
"Go on, then." The new girl said, unprompted after a long period of silence, and Nora resisted the urge to glare and roll her eyes. "Your name." Her words came out as a statement rather than a question.
"It's polite to give your own before demanding someone else's," Nora snapped, running low on patience with these strangers and forgetting everything she knew about first impressions. The other girl fixed her with a long, cold stare and Nora braced herself for a shouting match. Much to her surprise, the girl's face broke into a smirk and she chuckled to herself; Nora felt her eyebrows ascend in surprise.
"So you can talk after all." The girl arched her eyebrows and regarded Nora, eyes traveling up and down as if sizing her up before resting on her face. Her eyes were olive green though her pupils were ringed with gold to match the ringlets that spilled over her shoulders. "Alice Mary Benedict." The introduction was said smugly, with the aura of a person that was accustomed to such formality.
"Eleanor Jean Remington." Nora watched with satisfaction as Alice's carefully composed face was momentarily startled; she was used to strangers being familiar with her surname.
"Doesn't your father-?"
"Manage Gringotts?" Nora made a face and Alice's smirk returned. "Yes, and he has for the most part taken up permanent residence at work as of late."
"Yours too? Mine is the Advisor to the Minister of Magic, so they're essentially married." Both girls laughed, but Alice's sounded slightly bitter. "What about your mother?" Nora's mouth closed with an inaudible snap as the anger at her mother flared in her chest like a wound and she struggled to control her facial reaction.
"My mother is a pretty little thing," Nora responded bluntly, not caring to conceal her scathing tone; Alice's smile this time was sympathetic. "She dotes on my infant brother, which is dreadfully exhausting." Alice shrugged, turning her gaze to the window; they had left London far behind and were speeding past farmland dotted with fields and the occasional livestock. Before Alice had an opportunity to respond, the door slid open and a third girl slipped inside, closing the door behind her and sprawling out on the seat beside Alice. Nora regarded her with a stoic stare as the other girl turned to Alice and grinned.
"I opened every compartment door looking for you, y'know," She jerked her head at Nora and pulled her feet up on the seat to sit cross-legged. "Who's your friend?" She turned to face Nora, her cherubic alabaster face striking against her flaming red hair. "I'm Louise. I'll assume you had no idea I was coming, judging by your reaction." Louise teased her gently and Nora couldn't help but return her smile; a scratching noise at the door had Louise momentarily puzzled before her face broke into a peal of laughter and she yanked the door open slightly. A visibly agitated tabby cat entered, meowing reproachfully at the redhead and hissing as she stretched her hand out to smooth the fur atop his head. "I'm sorry, Leo, did I forget you again?"
"Leo?" Nora asked tentatively and Louise smiled.
"He's named after da Vinci," She explained quickly. "My mother is the professor of Arithmancy at Hogwarts and she named him." Nora was unsure of exactly what Arithmancy was, but she was unlikely to inform Louise of that.
"Do you know magic already, then?" She was unable to curb her curiosity, worrying briefly that she would be behind an invisible learning curve already, but Louise giggled and shook her head.
"Not yet. Students aren't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts until they come of age." This was news to Nora, who was secretly thankful that she hadn't tried any of the spells in her schoolbooks yet.
"How do you two-?"
"Know one another?" Louise guessed smoothly before linking her arm with Alice's. "Our parents are old friends, so I've been stuck with this lot my whole life." Alice stuck her tongue out and shook her head in mock disgust, giving her friend a gentle shove.
"The insolence of this one." She rolled her eyes and jabbed her thumb in Louise's direction. "If you're not nice to me, I'll tell your brother and then you'll really get it." Her tone was smug as Louise stifled a gag and turned to Nora, her voice low as if telling a secret.
"Over the summer, I caught my older brother snogging his pillow in his sleep and mumbling about how he has a little crush on Alice." In unison, the girls burst into laughter; Nora was astonished by how easily conversation flowed between the three girls that had been strangers just moments earlier.
There was suddenly a great racket outside as the door of the compartment slid open and a plump, dimple-faced woman poked her head inside. She was pushing along a huge cart piled higher than she was tall with every kind of sweets imaginable: a container stood full of candy wands made out of a sticky black sweet, there was a stack of cauldron-shaped pastries, innocent-looking boxes of jellybeans in every color in the spectrum, long chewy jellies that resembled slugs, brilliantly cobalt pieces of chewing gum that the package claimed could be blown into bubbles that take days to pop, and Chocolate Frogs which were Nora's personal favorite candy.
"Anything off the trolley, dears?" The woman asked cheerfully. Alice requested a box of Every Flavour Beans, while Louise purchased a handful of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Nora had to remind herself not to spend all of her money before she even got to school. Not wanting to overdo it, she settled on a Chocolate Frog for each of them, digging in her purse for the money to hand to the trolley lady.
Alice pulled her edition of Magical Theory from her bookbag and upended the box of jellybeans to spill its contents across the hard cover; Louise happily chewed a piece of gum with lips that were stained indigo. Nora opened one of her Frogs in silence and watched as Alice began to sort her Every Flavour Beans by color. The tiny creature was made of smooth, creamy milk chocolate with beady eyes as it turned to croak at Nora, making an attempt at freedom. She caught the frog and bit into it as the initial charm wore off and it solidified once more into candy, digging in the package for the part she truly sought: the trading card bearing a famous witch or wizard from history. Her collection at home was small, just a hobby that was a convenience because Chocolate Frogs were her favorite candy, but she was interested to explore the Hogwarts library and read about the people featured on the cards.
"Who did you get?" Louise was watching her as she chewed and began to form a bubble with her lips; Nora flipped the card over and glanced at the name. The man in the portrait was tall and handsome in his black sweater with his cropped hair swept back effortlessly. There was something about his eyes the color of liquid honey that was oddly familiar as her eyes wandered back to the text and her blood momentarily ran cold. Taylor Daniel Nott I, Duke of Wales, the text read; she was unable to tear her eyes away from the portrait. He could have been his grandson's twin. He smiled up at Nora with a casual elegance that was mirrored in the boy from the party; the image of his hurt, accusing face flashed through her memory like lightning, reminding her with painful clarity of their last meeting. The boy's amber gaze was burned into her memory.
"Just some rich wizard that was only important because of his money," Nora responded, her tone blasé to keep the conversation casual as she clutched the card tightly in her hand. She sat still for several seconds with her mind reeling before she was able to snap back into reality and shove it deep into the very bottom of her bag. Thankfully, Alice directed everyone's attention and spared her from having to offer further explanation.
"Done!" She announced, gesturing to a rainbow of Every Flavour Beans that had been organized by shade and color before her. Nora arched her eyebrows in surprise and Louise rolled her eyes with a laugh; Alice picked up a white bean and nibbled on the end of it tentatively. She paused and chewed with a pensive stare for several seconds before making a face and swallowing with a grimace. "I have this theory—"
"Here we go again." Louise muttered; Alice glared daggers at her.
"I HAVE THIS THEORY," Alice spoke increasingly louder with every word. "That the shades of the beans, not just the colors, have a correlation to flavor, and I'm trying to test the theory." Nora stared at her, unsure of whether to believe what she was saying.
"Why?" Alice burst into peals of delighted laughter and the sound sparkled in the air.
"Why not?" She countered with a playful glow in her eyes; Nora watched as she carefully moved a white bean to another pile of white beans that looked identical. "Dish soap." It took Nora a moment to realize that Alice was answering the question all over her face as she spectated. The girls sat in silence for a time, watching dark forest sprawl out of sight through the window; they had long journey through the countryside and were speeding through the deep woods of Scotland. Alice reorganized beans to different piles as she nibbled at the candies. "Hm. Coconut. Do you have any siblings?" The other girl asked candidly in between musings and Nora rolled her eyes as she nodded.
"I do. My brother is one." Nora shrugged, still sore about her mother's disappearance at the platform. "My mother dotes on the little prince." She mimicked her mother's thick accent and hushed voice with astonishing accuracy, noticing how Alice nodded along with her as she turned to face Nora with a sympathetic face.
"My older sister attends Beauxbatons in France, and you would honestly think she hung the moon with the way my parents go on about her. It doesn't help that my younger sister aspires to be a clone of the golden child." Nora felt a rush of empathy for the other girl, comforted by the knowledge that she wasn't alone.
"My brother is prefect in Ravenclaw and his house is very academically competitive, plus my mum is a professor. My parents are expecting me to be Head Girl and get perfect N.E.W.T.s so I can grow up to be Minister for Magic." Louise laughed.
"Do you think you'll be in Ravenclaw?" Nora couldn't contain her curiosity on the subject; despite all of the reading she had done over the summer, she hadn't put much thought into what House she hoped to be Sorted into. Everyone on her father's side of the family had been in Slytherin; Louise shrugged and shook her head slowly.
"I can't say for sure, honestly. I tried to do as much reading as I could on the Sorting process over the summer, but there wasn't much to be found even in Hogwarts: A History. It would appear to me that the school is trying to keep the process a secret." Her voice was high with excitement towards the end someone knocked and slid their compartment door open. The older boy was tall and thin like his sister, his hair dark blonde and slightly tousled; they had the same round, soft face and ice blue eyes. He was already changed into his black robes and there was a shiny silver badge bearing a single letter P on his chest.
"I've been looking all over for you," He began crossly, glowering at Louise who raised her eyebrows in mock interest. "We've nearly arrived. You need to change into your robes and gather your things. You shouldn't be wandering around the train to socialize with your friends." At this, Louise rose to her feet until she was nearly nose-to-nose with her brother.
"Lovely to see you, Adam. These are my friends. It would be polite to introduce yourself, don't you agree?" She snapped venomously and the older boy rolled his eyes, turning to open the door once more. He waved over his shoulder idly.
"Fine. Do whatever you please since you're capable of taking care of yourself, right?" Before his sister could answer, he had exited the compartment, slamming the door in his wake so hard the glass rattled in its pane. Louise wrenched the door open and followed her brother furiously; Nora and Alice could hear her begin to shout at him as they made their way down the corridor. The girls exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter until their eyes watered; Alice gestured in the direction Louise had gone.
"That's a daily occurrence between those two," She explained before sweeping the rest of her candy back into its box; both girls began to rummage in their trunks for their uniforms. Louise's tabby cat meowed sullenly, forgotten after having jumped up onto the shelf above their heads, and leapt to the floor with a thump. He voice his complaints loudly at the door until Nora opened it far enough to allow him to squeeze out and she stared after him for a moment, slightly worried.
"Will he be okay by himself?"
"Who? Leo?" Alice's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and she jerked her head in the cat's direction; Nora nodded as she shoved her street clothes back into her trunk. Her friend shrugged. "He's a familiar. He'll find Louise on his own. Cats are reasonably intelligent."
The train seemed to be slowing down as a voice echoed through the train: "We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train. It will be transported separately."
Nora's stomach twisted with nerves as the train came to a halt and Alice slid the compartment door fully open; the corridor outside was crammed with people who slowly made their way onto a dark platform that was much smaller than the one at King's Cross. Nora allowed herself to be directed by the stream as the students crowded together in a large group, shivering in the suddenly chilly night air. The darkness lay in an inky blanket over the world as a light came bobbing up the platform to illuminate the sea of students.
"First years! First years follow me!" A male voice called briskly; in the dim light, Nora was able to make out a tall figure wearing a cloak the color of the night sky and a pair of eyes that drooped downward slightly at the outer corners. "First years follow me! Mind your step! We don't need any sprained ankles!"
The group of first years split off from the rest of the students and followed the man down a steep, narrow path that forked away from the platform, leading down a sharp incline that was heavily wooded on either side. The students were mostly silent except for the occasional whispers and the sound of shoes stumbling over tree roots; the woods shielded the path from moonlight and the ground was nearly pitch black. A girl behind Nora caught the toe of her shoe on a rock and she tripped, grabbing Nora's sleeve to catch herself; the girl whispered her thanks as Nora assisted her in regaining her balance. The murmuring grew louder as their descent continued; the students were obviously becoming uneasy and the man with the lamp turned to address the group over his shoulder.
"Patience, please! You'll have your first view of Hogwarts just around the bend!"
Several people gasped as the swarm of first years spilled into the clearing at the end of the path that opened up into a beach on the shore of a massive black lake. The glassy water rippled innocently, lapping the shores and drawing their attention to the castle perched at the top of a mountain on the opposite side. The windows in the towers glimmered like stars against the velvety night sky, reflecting back in the water.
"This way! Follow me!" The guide called, directing their attention to a fleet of tiny rowboats lined up along the sand. "Four to a boat! Quickly now!" Nora was jostled gently by the group of first years as she slid into a boat behind Alice and Louise.
The little fleet began to glide across the lake at once, leaving ripples in their wake that cut across the smooth water; in the distance, something large broke the surface, curling and writhing skyward before plunging into the depths of the dark lake. A few people gasped, one girl screamed softly; Nora had a sneaking suspicion that they were being greeted by a giant squid. The first years quickly fell back into stunned silence as the castle drew still closer; it towered over them as they sailed straight at the face of the mountain.
"Heads down, everyone!" The students bent their heads as the fleet of boats passed through a curtain of ivy that hid a gaping entrance in the cliff; they continued down a long, dark tunnel that appeared to lead directly under the school until they reached an underground marina built on a beach of tiny pebbles. "Right this way! Quickly now!" The first years quickly made their way up a passageway carved from stone until they emerged at last on the damp lawns in the shadow of the castle; their cloaked guide led them up a flight of huge stone steps and the children crowded around a handsome oak door. The students were silent as the man raised his fist and knocked firmly on the castle door, which swung open immediately so they were faced by a petite redheaded witch in midnight blue velvet robes embroidered with miniscule silver stars; she was surprisingly young but had a wise, regal aura about her. She regarded the first years silently for a moment before turning to the man with the lamp as he removed his cloak. He was tall and his black hair was slicked back from his face as he inclined his head towards her. "Professor Evernight." He regarded her warmly. She turned and motioned for group to follow her into the castle, where they stood in a massive stone entrance hall; the walls were lit with torches and an ornate set of marble steps led to the upper floors of the castle. On either side of the staircase stood two towering hourglasses; each was monogrammed, filled with a series of richly colored gems with an animal carved into its wooden base. Professor Evernight led the first years across the smooth flagstone floor and into a smaller chamber off to one side where they crowded around her, whispering nervously.
"Silence please!" Professor Evernight began. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The annual start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you can take your seats, you must be Sorted into your Houses. For the duration of your education at this school, your Houses will be like your family and you are expected to behave as such. You will attend classes, sleep in your dormitories, and spend your free time with your House; your triumphs here will earn you points, any rule-breaking will cause you to lose points. Points are a cumulative scorekeeping method that are used to determine the recipient of the House Cup at the end of every school year. The four houses are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin; each house has its own individual history and seeks unique characteristics in its students. The House Cup is a great honor and you will be expected to earn it; it isn't something that comes easy, but I believe each of you will play a role in earning your House the Cup. The Sorting will take place in several moments before the rest of your peers. Please wait quietly until I return." Without another word, she swept from the room, leaving the children silently crowded closer than they might have been if not for the nerves that hummed in the air.
"How do they Sort us into our Houses?" A female voice wondered aloud; several people glanced around nervously.
"No one knows," Nora muttered quietly and nearly every head in the room turned to stare at her, horrified; she felt her face flush pink and her ears grew hot. "There isn't any information on the subject in Hogwarts: A History. It appears as though the school keeps the ceremony a secret."
"My older brother says you've got to pass some sort of test," Louise piped up, her face pale.
"My sister says it's really hard," Another voice, male this time, chimed in from the back of the group. Nora felt her heart plummet in her chest; she looked around anxiously and saw that her peers seemed just as nervous. The students sat in silence andProfessor Evernight returned just moments later, holding the door to the Entrance Hall open for the first years.
"Form a line," She said and they fell into a single file line behind her. "And follow me." Professor Evernight led the first years across the hall and through a set of polished double doors.
The Great Hall was as magnificent as it was strange; thousands of fat, burning tapers hovered in midair above a sea of students, bathing their faces in warm, flickering candle light. Fluffy gray clouds swirled across the velvety blue ceiling, bewitched to mirror the sky outside, and the pupils were seated around four long tables laid with glimmering golden plates, silverware, and goblets; a fifth table was positioned perpendicular at the head of the Great Hall. The professors were seated at this table already, though the tallest chair stood empty, likely having been vacated by the witch guiding the first years to the platform that stood before the four House tables. A single stool crafted of rough wood had been placed in the center and atop it rested a battered, pointed wizard's hat; it was worn and had been patched in several places. The Great Hall fell silent as the first years assembled facing their peers, and as they waited, a wide rip near the brim opened like a mouth and 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 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!"