Chapter 4:
The boat ride was mercifully quick. I have to admit, the closer we drew to the high, stone walls of the castle, the more apprehensive I became. I hated being the new girl, which was a position I had been in far too many times in the past. I always ended up making friends whom I ended up loving, and then I had to leave them, convinced that nobody would be able to replace them, and that I would stay in contact with them forever. I always did try to stay in contact, but without fail, very few friends made the effort to do the same. It was enough to make me wary of starting again.
And now, I was being ridiculously worried about a position I had held many times before. Of course I would have friends, right? It would be fine. It was always fine.
Besides, I told myself, who even needs friends? I can function just fine on my own, thanks.
God, I was such a liar.
I looked over to Scarlett and saw exactly how excited about this she was. For someone so terrifying usually, it was strange to see her so calm and filled with positive anticipation. I wondered what the different houses symbolized. I wondered what she would be in. Maybe something to do with bravery? If there was even such a house, or if the house structure even followed personal traits. At my old school, you were placed in a house with your siblings, randomly, and all it meant was that's who you would support in games.
I felt like this house structure was slightly more important – from what I understood from the scary professor lady, we would eat with and sleep with our house, and who knows what else.
Sigh.
We finally reached the other side of the lake – I swear I had seen a giant squid in the depths – and the first years began to get out of their boats.
"All off that's getting off, I suppose," Scar said with glee.
"Couldn't I have gone to university instead?" I groaned. "I heard rumors of curfew."
"Stop being a child, Al!" my sister said cheerfully. "I'm so excited to get sorted! I hear for sorting, you have to do all kinds of exciting and difficult wandwork and –"
"Who did you hear that from?" I asked, doubt dripping from my voice like honey off a hive. "D'you really think that they are going to make eleven year olds do anything difficult? Us, sure, but –"
The great stone doors creaked open and the stern professor from earlier appeared on the other side of the door. "First years follow me! My name is Professor Greene, and I will bring you to the great hall, where you'll be sorted."
My trunk seemed to sprout legs and begin to walk away. Seeing my confused alarm, Greene told me that the house-elves would take my trunks to my new dormitory once I had been sorted.
Looking at Scarlett, I sighed dramatically, "Such a shame that elves don't look like Orlando Bloom in Lord of the Rings."
"Can you imagine if they did?" She giggled. "That would be fantastic."
Greene shot us a glare. "New students at the back!"
She then dramatically had the doors to the "Great Hall" open and the first years filed through after her.
"Terrance, Macabee." Hufflepuff!
"Theodore, Winfred." Ravenclaw!
The sorting went as follows: Professor Greene would call out the name of a student, the terrified first year would walk up to a raised platform with a stool, and the hat that had previously been sitting on the stool was placed ceremoniously on the child's head. And then the hat (THE HAT!) would yell out a house, either Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin.
Oh, and did I mention that the hat had just sang a song about the four houses and their attributes? What were these people tripping on?
Hell, I was here, I had listened to the same song. What was I tripping on?
I looked at Scarlett and laughed. "This is insane, bro," I whispered. "I love it. Plus, I told you we wouldn't have to do anything crazy."
She grinned and nodded. "Where do you think I'll be placed?"
"I dunno, kid – Ravenclaw? You're, like, super fucking smart. Or Gryffindor? You are brave to the point of insanity. Remember that hike we took up to the top of the mountain that one time?"
Strangely enough, she made the connection to the right hike. I don't understand how.
At this point, all of the eleven year olds had been called and the entire school was staring at us. Staring as we made them wait for food that should have been on the tables by now. If I were in that position, somebody would probably be grievously wounded.
How wonderful.
"School," said the Professor, "These two girls are brand new to Hogwarts. They have been homeschooled in South Africa for the initial part of their magical education and are now joining us in the seventh and fifth year, in which they will write NEWTs and OWLs. I trust that you will afford every kindness and welcome to them. They will now be sorted, like every new Hogwarts student."
Translation: These two girls are the new freaks of Hogwarts. They lived as muggles for, like, evsies, and you better not treat them like shit 'cos shame poor new freaks.
Hmm. Maybe I was being a bit hard on the poor woman.
"Little, Alyssa," she said, looking at us expectantly.
Ah, the joys of alphabetical order. I pushed my rampant curls out of my face and shot a smirk to Scorpius, whom I had found sitting at a table covered in green and silver, with people whom I had not yet met. He winked at me as I sat on the stool and Greene lowered the talking hat (I was possibly still tripping) onto my head. I wondered where Red and Glass Boy were.
Suddenly, it started to speak in my head. Weird.
Hm, this too is a difficult match. So guarded, so angry, such potential for being diabolical. And yet such beautiful brains! I think your ambition is overreaching, though. And you feel so lonely… I haven't felt a brain like this in decades… I guess I'll have to put you in SLYTHERIN!
Scorpius's table broke out into cheers and whistles, while the other three tables looked slightly disappointed. I had to admit, that was extremely flattering. Greene nodded with approval and gestured at the table, and I stood up with a flourish and inclined my head at her, noticing that my tie and badge was suddenly green. I swept over to where he was sitting, my robes billowing behind me (I adored the drama of our new uniform) and looked at him when he just laughed at me as I neared the spot.
"Make space, Malfoy," I said flatly, grinning at him with a little half smile, so he would know that my pissy tone was a joke.
He bowed from the waist, as well as he could when he was seated, and scooted down the row, forcing others to bunch up. "Anything for you, sweet Lady."
I broke into a full smile then, because his reference to our childhood games meant that he would not give my friendship up when we were at school. I hoped his word would hold.
Now all I needed was my sister in the same house as me. I watched as she absentmindedly mounted the dais after snapping at Greene ("It's Scarlett, actually"), sitting down on the stool, the way I had, mere minutes ago.
The hat took a great deal longer to sort her, at one point opening its slash of a mouth as if about to announce her house, but at her frown, it closed up again.
"Is my sister arguing with a hat?" I asked Scorp, delighted. Oh the jokes I could make about this!
"It certainly seems that way," he said lazily.
We high fived. A few other Slytherins gave us confused looks.
Then, without warning, my sister's frown changed to an expression of panic, as the hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"
My heart sank to the floor as her tie turned to red. Oh no. How would I function, and how was I supposed to keep her safe from any assholes or bullying if we didn't stick together? Oh, no.
"It's going to be alright, Al," Scorp said in a soothing voice.
"What? No. This can't be possible. We're too similar; we have to be in the same house. I'll apply for a change, and –"
"You can't, Al, that's not how it works," he murmured. "It's all right, she makes friends quickly, and she is independent. She'll do well. She's suited for it, I think. All honorable and things." He looked at me, sensing a mental breakdown. He knew that, before everything, I would've relished this. But now…
I told myself to stop being so selfish.
"Rose will make sure she's okay, Al. She has a little sister in Scar's year, it'll be okay."
He was still reassuring me as we ate dinner – he ended up saying okay a lot, and patting my shoulder. It was completely ridiculous. I would be fine, and I got over myself quickly after that little bit of panic.
I introduced myself to the people around me. Everyone seemed nice enough, and ridiculously curious about me, and I knew I wouldn't remember any names come morning.
Later that night, one of the girls in my year led me to the common room ("Password is 'Emerald' this week, Alyss," the blonde girl had said with a smile), where I had departed Scorpius and his Slytherin friends (most of whom were quite cute – a definite plus) and up to the dorm, where I had collapsed onto the beautiful green four-poster, suddenly exhausted, wondering what the next day would hold.
I had to admit, I was the tiniest bit excited. But I'd hate to lose my 'don't give a shit' reputation, so don't tell Scar.