Chapter 4- September 1, 2009- Hogwarts
Phoenix:
As soon as the train pulled into the station, Phoenix was up and out of his compartment faster than a stampeding hippogriff. The train ride had been painfully long, between the snide comments that Agnes kept making towards him and the giggling that Phil did persistently (most of which was directed at Agnes' remarks).
When the first years all piled into the boats Phoenix made a heroic effort to avoid Agnes and Phil. He ducked into the boat of three unsuspecting eleven year olds.
"Please let me sit here, please" he realized he must have looked like a complete lunatic, but one more minute with that girl and he would have avada kedavrad himself (had he known how).
"Umm… sure mate?" A dark haired boy looked at him a little puzzled.
Needless to say the boat ride was a tad bit awkward, and Phoenix felt a familiar knot of worry in his stomach. Any anxiety he had though melted away at the sight of the castle, stark and stoic against the fading light. It was beautiful in an imposing way, if such a way could exist.
When the boats stopped on the other side of the water, Phoenix hopped out, thanking the other occupants of the boat and stumbling along after the other first years up towards the castle.
The boy was awestruck by the castle and the grounds and the lake they had just crossed and the feeling he got from all of it. It all was, for lack of a better term, magical.
The first years passed a large marble obelisk looking monument which made Phoenix feel uneasy. He found himself starring at the pallid structure a bit mesmerized, though to be honest he didn't know why.
He walked with the other first years, which looked just as nervous as he felt. They passed through the large front doors into the main hall. At the top of the set of (rather impressive looking) stairs stood a small man. After all of the first years had filed into the hall, the man let out a slight squeak. Everyone turned to look at him, some giggling at the little man.
The little man called Flitwick explained that they were going to be sorted. A different sort of worry began to fill Phoenix- what if the hat messed up and he ended up in a house he didn't belong in and no one would like him? Bravery? Patience? Intelligence? Cunning? He was none of those… What if the hat couldn't sort him and told him he may as well leave? Oh God, it wasn't even his first day and he was already going to get kicked out.
After Flitwick finished speaking he lead the new students into the great hall.
There was the expected gasp and awe as they filed into the hall. It was so beautiful. The starry night ceiling and magical candles, the large tables and vaulted gothic ceiling; it was amazing and wonderful and unlike anything any of the first years had seen before.
Phoenix's amazement at the ceiling seemed to push his anxiety back a little bit, which was probably the only reason he managed to get up to the front of the room and stand with the others.
Holly:
The castle was even more wonderful than Tommy had told her. It looked so majestic set against the Scottish night sky. It was amazing. She looked over at Sawyer who was also gawking at the building.
"It's awesome isn't it?" she couldn't help but smile. The look on Sawyer's face was wonderful.
"It's… amazing." His voice sounded as though it was off somewhere else, in his imagination she assumed.
She looked over at Teddy who was matched her smile. The three of them were nearly shaking with excitement as the boats stopped on the other side of the lake. They jumped out of the boat and walked excitedly up towards their new home.
They moved over the lawn onto a path which led to the large front doors. They followed the others into the main hall. It was hard to take it all in. Holly looked around the space. There were about fifty first years standing in the hall, looking around with the same mix of awe and nervousness that Holly, Sawyer and Teddy were feeling.
It was a small class this year, they had all been born during the war. When people are in constant fear of dying they generally are not inclined to want children (at least that's how Tommy had explained it).
There was a squeak that resembled "May I have your attention please?"
Everyone looked around to the stairs where a very small man was standing. The man was the deputy headmaster who was named Professor Flitwick. He explained to all of them what the houses were, how to gain (and lose) house points, and how the sorting ceremony would work. He then led the anxious group into the great hall.
Holly felt excited as her eyes swept over the hall. She scanned the faces of all the other students who watched them with mild curiosity. She spotted Lisa, Daniel and of course Tommy, who was giving her a rather comical wave. She smiled and waved back feeling some of the butterflies in her stomach calm down.
Once they got to the front of the hall she took a place between her two new companions. Teddy seemed to be about to burst with excitement, whereas Sawyer was starting to look a little green.
"It'll be okay." She said to Sawyer, hoping that may help a little bit. He had been raised by muggles and it seemed he didn't really have any idea what to expect.
Flitwick stood holding a ratty old hat, which began to sing. Teddy leaned over "My Uncle Ron says that it sings a different song every year. He says that's what it does the other 364 days, it writes next year's song." They all giggled.
After the song Flitwick pulled a scroll from his robes, opening it to read the names. His voice broke over the low rumble of post-song chatter and the hall went silent.
"Boris Abbott!" the small man called out. A rather smug looking boy came forward and sat on the stool. The hat was placed on his head for not even two seconds before the hat called out "Slytherin!"
A round of applauds and pats on the back followed as Boris made his way to an empty seat at the Slytherin table.
"Carlisle Anders!"
Oh God! It was in alphabetical order. Alphabetical order was the bane of Holly's existence. She was always one of the last names called, and when her chest felt as though it was about explode from anticipation it was hard to stand there and wait. Why were there so many names at the front half of the alphabet?
"Phoenix Flannery!"
She looked up. The name sounded familiar… Flannery?
"Gryffindor!"
Why did that name sound so familiar? This was going to bug her.
"Theodor Lupin!"
Teddy moved from beside her, up to where Flitwick was waiting with the hat. Holly watched, curious what house her new friend would be in… if they were friends. They seemed to be friends.
The hat rested on the boy's head, his face screwed up in concentration. Or maybe that was the pain that Tommy had told her about? She had forgotten about that until now. She rubbed her head subconsciously.
"Gryffindor!"
Holly felt a slight sinking feeling. He was going to be in Gryffindor while she was going to be in Hufflepuff, she knew it. Oh well they might still have classes together.
"Philippa Summers!" Holly could have sworn the last girl's name had been Summers too. They did look similar, they had to be twins. Two more Slytherins-
"Ravenclaw!" It was rare that siblings got sorted into different houses, let alone twins…
"Sawyer Thompson!" Maybe sawyer would be with her in Hufflepuff? "Gryffindor!" She supposed not… There was that nice looking boy that got sorted into Hufflepuff- the McKinley wasn't it? The one that was on the boat with them…
"Holly Wiggins!" Oh no…
She walked forward and sat on the stool, closing her eyes as the hat was put on her head. She waited for the horrible drilling pain, but was met with a voice instead.
Another Wiggins, eh? The baby of the family.
She kept thinking Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff, hoping that the hat would take her suggestion into consideration.
I have to admit this is the first time I've ever actually gotten a request for Hufflepuff.
My whole family have been in Hufflepuff, I should be too, she thought.
No, you shouldn't, there is something different about you. You're not like your siblings. You're more resourceful, cunning and determined. More intelligent too, but don't tell them I said that.
She felt panic at that assessment. The way the hat had said it made it sound an awful lot like a Slytherin description.
That's because it is a Slytherin description, I think you will do well in-
No! No! No! No! She was panicking, anything but Slytherin. She had only heard bad things about was worried; Tommy had always talked about how much he hated Slytherins, what if he would start to hate her too?
You really don't want to be in Slytherin?
Not in the slightest, she thought.
Than it will have to be-
Hufflepuff?
No,
"Gryffindor!"
"What!" Holly's eyes opened to a round of applauds from the hall. She felt the hat being taken off her head as she was pointed in the direction of the Gryffindor table. She looked over to where her siblings were sitting at the Hufflepuff table. They were all cheering for her and the three of them were giving her matching grins.
She walked over to the Gryffindor table and took a seat beside a Teddy Lupin who patted her on the back.
"Welcome to Gryffindor." Sawyer said with a cheeky smile.
"You too," Holly couldn't help but smile too.