A/N: The face-claim to Jayden Hayes is Tom Holland.
Chapter 3: The Sorting
The door opened and a tall, stern-faced, black-haired woman appeared in the door. She was wearing robes of emerald green.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the man.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," replied Professor McGonagall.
She pulled the door wide open revealing the entrance hall. The entrance hall was so big that it seemed to put Adriana's manor to shame. The walls were lit with flaming torches and the ceiling was too high to make out and there was a magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors.
They walked across the stone floor and Adriana can hear the drone of hundreds of voice from a doorway to the right—the rest of the school must already be here. Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing a little to close to each other.
To Adriana's disappointment, she was standing to close to the boy that she had shared a boat with.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," stated Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be Sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your Houses common room.
"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting," explained Professor McGonagall. Her eyes lingered somewhere, but Adriana was feeling to nervous to see what drew the professor's attention. "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." She left the chamber.
"We're going to get Sorted in front of the school?" Adriana asked Flora and Hestia.
It was going to be worse if she didn't get Sorted. She'll be humiliated in front of the entire school. Her mother would be really smug about that.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Hestia said.
Adriana nodded back at her in acknowledgement. She wanted to believe her, but she wasn't smart, brave, or cunning. She'll probably end up in Hufflepuff, which wouldn't be too bad. Maybe they would accept her there; even if they found out she killed her brother. Her mother would be so disappointed that she didn't make Gryffindor, but then again, her mother was always disappointed in her. If she even got Sorted, her mother wouldn't care. She would probably make some comment about how the House shouldn't accept murderers and that Hogwarts is going to the dogs.
"How do we get Sorted anyway?" Flora asked.
"Ryan told me that we're supposed to have some big test on what potions are poisoned, Transfigure something, and do some sort of magic trick that Muggle magicians do," Adriana told Flora and Hestia. "I think he was joking."
"You think?" the boy from the boat snapped at her.
Adriana turned and looked at him. She forced herself to look in dark brown eyes. They seemed to be filled with hatred, but she can handle hatred. It was nothing compared to her mother's. Besides, she hated herself, too. "Yes, I think, but I suspect that you wouldn't know anything about it. Also, Sunshine, you have to get in line to hate me." She turned her back on him before she can see the look on his face.
About twenty ghosts streamed through the back wall. They were pearly-white and slightly transparent. They were gliding across the room talking to one another and hardly glanced at the first years, because they seemed to be arguing. She turned away from the boy on the boat and looked at Flora and Hestia.
"Whatever House we're Sorted in, we should still be friends, right?" Flora asked.
"Yeah," Adriana responded, nodding. She felt sick to her stomach. It wouldn't matter, anyway. Once they find out she killed her brother, they'll abandon her, too, just like how her mother abandoned her.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" a man said, "My old House, you know."
"Move along now," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." The ghosts floated away and through the opposite wall. "Now form a line and follow me."
Adriana stood behind Hestia as the boy from the boat stood behind her. She didn't have to look, because she had the most uncomfortable feeling that he was still glaring at her.
They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Adriana gasped at the sight of thousands and thousand of candles hovering over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sittings. The tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up to the top of the hall, so they can form a line that faced the other students, with the teachers behind them.
The rest of the students that stared at them looked eerie with the flickering candlelight illuminating them. Adriana can see the ghosts, who stood out because they were misty silver.
Adriana looked up at the ceiling to see that the nighttime sky was dotted with stars. It was a pretty sight and she looked away quickly, remembering three years ago, she had looked up at the night sky and thought it was pretty too.
"My brother told me that it's bewitched to look like the sky outside," Adriana told the boy next to her.
He looked like he was in awe at the sight of the ceiling. "I read about it. It looks like there's no ceiling."
Professor McGonagall was placing a four-legged stool in front of the first years and put a pointed wizard's hat on it. It looked patched, frayed, and extremely dirty.
For a few seconds there was nothing but silence and then the hat twitched and a rip near the brim opened wide, and began to sing.
The hat sang about how it can see whatever is in your head and how you can't hide anything. It sang about how it will Sort you and place you in the House where you should be. It sang about how Gryffindors were daring, chivalrous, and had nerve. Hufflepuff were just, loyal, patient, unafraid of toil, and were true. Ravenclaw was wise, with a ready mind, with wit and learning, and had a kind. Slytherin was where you make real friends and were a cunning kind who use any means to achieve their ends.
Adriana couldn't help but be afraid, even though the hat sang not too.
After the hat finished its song, the whole hall burst into applause. She clapped too and watched as the hat bowed to the four tables and became still again. She bit her knuckle, feeling sick again. She wasn't brave because she left her brother to die, she wasn't smart like her mother says, she wasn't cunning, and she wasn't sure if she would even fit with Hufflepuff.
"Don't worry," Hestia said.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call you name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be Sorted," she looked at the parchment. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A blonde-pigtailed girl stumbled out of line and put on the hat. After a pause, the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table on the right side of the hall cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down with them.
"Bones, Susan!" Professor McGonagall called.
A red-haired girl went and sat on the stool, pulling the hat on, which also shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Susan went and sat next to Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!"
A dark-haired boy went and sat on the stool, being Sorted into Ravenclaw. Brocklehurst, Mandy went to Ravenclaw as well. Brown Lavender became the first Gryffindor, and "Bulstrode, Millicent," became the first Slytherin.
"Carrow, Flora!" called Professor McGonagall.
The last name poked at Adriana. She heard the last name before, but couldn't place it.
Flora sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head.
"SLYTHERIN!" shouted the hat.
Flora went to sit with the Slytherins.
"Carrow, Hestia!" called Professor McGonagall.
"You'll do fine," Hestia said to Adriana before sitting on the stool.
"That's gross," the boy next to Adriana said.
The girl looked at him. "What?"
"SLYTHERIN!" shouted the hat.
"You're bleeding," the boy responded, pointing.
Adriana looked down and realized she broke the skin on her knuckle. She was irrationally angry again, "It's none of your damn business."
A brunette girl named Fay Dunbar was Sorted in Gryffindor.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" called Professor McGonagall.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
"Finnigan, Seamus!" called Professor McGonagall.
A sandy-haired boy sat on the stool. It took a moment for him to be declared Gryffindor.
Oh great, I'm going to be next, Adriana thought, feeling a little sick.
"Frost, Adriana!" called Professor McGonagall.
For a moment, it seemed like a part of the hall went silent and Adriana sat on the stool. The hat was placed on her head.
"Hmm," a voice said in her ear, "Another Frost, eh?"
I suppose, Adriana thought.
"Your brother had a lot of nerves and bravery," the hat said.
He took on a hag at thirteen, Adriana replied.
"Yes, yes, I know all about that," the hat said. "He mentioned you a few times. He talked highly of you."
Not to my face, he hasn't, Adriana thought.
"Now, where to put you," the hat said.
Definitely not Gryffindor, Adriana thought.
"Why not?" questioned the hat and there was a brief silence, "Oh…I see."
Adriana felt as if her heart would stop at that, Yeah. That's why.
"There's no shame in running to get help," the hat told her. "I see that you stood up to your mother. Standing up to your family is a brave thing."
Even if I apologized after that happened? Adriana thought.
"Even after you apologized," the hat said. "I see you wake up every morning, battling the same horrible thoughts that you always wake up with. And you don't allow hate to break you. I see a lot of bravery and courage in you, you just need some help getting it out. I know a House that will help you with that. Better be—GRYFFINDOR!"
Adriana felt sickened and cold at once. She got up and shakily moved to the Gryffindor table. They were cheering and clapping for her. She sat down and Fay Dunbar smiled at her. She nodded at her in acknowledgment and looked down the table. Her brother should be there, clapping for her, but he wasn't.
The worst was over. She was a Gryffindor. Her mother would probably have a heart attack because she was in the same House as Ryan. She hoped that her mother wouldn't send her a Howler, yelling at her about how there wasn't anything brave about murder.
"Granger, Hermione!" called Professor McGonagall.
The bushy-haired girl that Adriana saw in Madam Malkin's, practically ran to the stool and jammed the hat on her head. She was Sorted into Gryffindor. Adriana clapped for the girl, as she sat next to her.
"Hayes, Jayden!" called Professor McGonagall.
The boy from the boat sat on the stool and it took a minute for the hat to decide that he was a Gryffindor.
Adriana clapped once for him and was slightly annoyed when he sat across from her. She won't be able to escape this guy, apparently.
The boy who lost his toad, Neville Longbottom tripped when he made his way to the stool, and had the hat placed on his head. It took a long time for the hat to decide that he was a Gryffindor.
Morag MacDougal went to Ravenclaw and Draco Malfoy went to Slytherin. Others were Sorted and then, "Potter, Harry!" was called.
"Did she just say Potter?" a girl whispered.
"The Harry Potter?" a boy whispered.
Adriana was briefly annoyed and remembered her jealousy over her mother caring about him more than her. She placed her elbow on the table and placed her face on her hand, "Who cares?" She knew it was a stupid reason to hate him, but she couldn't help it. She'll probably grow out of her hatred of him.
Harry was on the stool for a few moments, but the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindors exploded in cheers, startling Adriana. The male prefect had gotten up and shook Harry's hand vigorously. The red-haired twin boys were yelling, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
Harry sat down opposite of the ghost that wore the ruff, who patted his arm, and Adriana rolled her eyes. Dean Thomas, a black boy, was Sorted in Gryffindor, Lisa Turpin went to Ravenclaw, and Ron Weasley went to Gryffindor.
"Well done, Ron, excellent," the prefect told Ron as he sat in the chair next to Harry.
A black boy named Blaise Zabini was Sorted into Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.
Dumbledore stood up, his arms spread out, and beaming as if pleased to see them all there. "Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat down.
Adriana clapped with everyone else, and there were a few cheers. The dishes in front of her were now piled with food. There were roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and peppermint humbugs.
Adriana went for the lamp chops first, unfortunately, Jayden had the same idea, because they grabbed the same lamp chop at the same time. Adriana narrowed her eyes at him, and he did the same. She released the lamp chop and shoved the bowl at him, he looked a little startled. She was still feeling a little sore over the whole 'you think' comment and how he hated her for no reason.
She got pork chops and bacon instead. She felt a little guilty about shoving the bowl at Jayden and considered apologizing to him, but he was now glaring at her again. She didn't apologize to him.
Soon, the food disappeared and dessert reappeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavour one could think off, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs, jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding, cream cakes…
Adriana and Jayden reached for the cream cakes. This time, Jayden shoved the plate at her and she narrowed her eyes at him.
"I'm half-and-half," Adriana heard Seamus say. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."
The people surrounding him laughed at that.
"What about you, Neville?" asked Ron.
"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," explained Neville, "but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me—he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned—but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced—all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here—they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."
Adriana felt bad for Neville. His family thought he was a Squib and his Great Uncle did all that, just to see if he had magic in him.
Fay turned to Adriana, "Hey, what about you, Adriana?"
Adriana choked on her cream cake at being addressed. "Oh, um…I'm pureblood. Or, I think a few consider my family blood-traitors because one of my grandmothers was the Minister and wanted to allow Muggle music in the wizarding world."
"I think I heard about that," Fay said. "I heard she lasted for three days as a Minister."
Adriana shrugged, "Three or two, I can't remember which."
"What about you, Jayden?" Fay asked, giving him a strange, starry eyed look, which made Adriana roll her eyes, in slight annoyance.
"I'm Muggle-born," Jayden responded. "I did a lot of reading."
Adriana figured that the conversation was done with her.
"Hey, is your dad's name, Finn?" Fay asked, looking at Adriana.
Adriana tensed up a little. "Why do you want to know?"
"Isn't he in Azkaban?" questioned Fay, looking interested.
"Why do you want to know?" Adriana asked a little more harshly, making fists. Her fingernails were digging into her palms.
"Did he kill two Muggles?" Fay asked.
"It's none of your business," said Adriana.
"That's enough," the female prefect said, turning to look at the tense situation down the table.
Adriana didn't like Fay very much, but apparently Fay didn't seem to notice how tense things were getting. Adriana wasn't hungry anymore and noticed that Jayden looked at her disgusted. She had her arms on the table and stared at her unfinished cream cake. Fay knew that her dad was a murderer. How long would it take for her to find out that Ryan was dead and Rita Skeeter's article saying that she allowed that hag to kill him? Who would Fay believe more, Skeeter's and Beatrix's version of events or Adriana's version? Adriana bit on a different knuckle this time, wondering what would happen if word got out that she supposedly stood by as a hag killed her brother. She noticed that Jayden was looking at her, a little more disgusted. Fay was looking at her, too, but a bit suspicious-like.
After a while, the desserts disappeared and Professor Dumbledore stood up, making the hall fall silent. He said, "Ahem—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." He seemed to look at the red-haired twin boys.
He continued, "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 contract Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridors on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
A few people laughed.
"Do you think he's being serious?" Jayden asked.
"How should I know? Apparently I don't think," Adriana snapped. She was wondering where all this anger was coming from.
"Excuse me for asking a question," Jayden muttered.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. He flicked wand, making a long golden ribbon shot out. It rose above the tables and twisted itself into words. "Everyone pick their favourite tune and off we go!"
Adriana couldn't focus on the song. What would happen if she ran into one of Ryan's friends? Would she get yelled at by them for supposedly standing by while the hag killed him?
Everyone finished the song at different time, however the two red-haired boys finished it at a very slow pace. Dumbledore had conducted their last few lines with his wand and he was the only one who clapped the loudest after they finished.
He wiped his eyes as he said, "Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
The Gryffindor first years followed the prefect through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. She noticed people in the portraits whispered and pointed at them as they passed. The prefect had led them through two doorways that were hidden being sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed up more staircases and then they were stopped, because a bundle of walking sticks were floating in midair ahead of them. When the prefect took a step toward the walking sticks, they were thrown at them.
"Peeves," the prefect whispered to them, "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves—show yourself." There was a loud sound, like the air being let out of a balloon. "Do you want me to go the Bloody Baron?"
There was a pop and a little man with dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air. He was holding the walking sticks. "Ooh! Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped at them and they ducked. Adriana nearly got whacked because she ducked at the last minute. Peeves laughed.
"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" snapped the prefect.
Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's and Adriana's heads.
Jayden laughed, "I like him."
It sounded like the coats of armour were rattling.
"You want to watch out for Peeves," said the prefect as they started walking again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him. He won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are." There was a huge portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress, at the end of the corridor.
"Password?" the woman asked as they walked up to it.
"Caput Draconis," said the prefect and the portrait swung forward, nearly hitting Adriana in the process.
The woman in the painted said, "Sorry, dear."
"It's okay," Adriana responded. She moved to get inside the round hole in the wall. She and the prefect helped Neville.
The common room was round and full of squashy armchairs.
The prefect directed the girls through one door to their dormitory. There was a spiral staircase that was in one of the towers.
The girls entered the room. There were five poster beds, covered in red eiderdowns and matching red curtains. There was a nightstand next to the bed and their school trunks were at the foot of their beds. There was a window that had a jug of water on the ledge, and off to the side of the room, was the bathroom.
Adriana had the bed that was in the corner, so she went over and open her trunk. She pulled out her thinning pajamas and closed the curtain. She got dressed and flopped down on her bed. She rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow.
Ryan should've been at Hogwarts too. He should have been at the table, congratulating her on becoming a Gryffindor.
Tears prickled at her eyes. She wouldn't cry, especially not in a room with a bunch of girls. She didn't want to be known as the girl who cried on her first night at Hogwarts. Somehow, she managed to fall asleep.
A/N: The reason why Jayden's reacts to her like that will be explained a bit more in later chapters.