Himeko Sorano: Slytherin
By: Felidae Silvestris
Author's Note: I always assumed the speech we got at the beginning of Harry's first year at Hogwarts was rehearsed and repeated each year. As such, the speech McGonagall gives here is the exact speech she gave to Harry's class before they were sorted.
Hogwarts
The scarlet steam train loomed over everyone's head as they jostled along the platform. Himeko hunched over her cart and trunk, moving through the crowd as fast as possible. Upon reaching the last car, she lifted her cart onto the train and proceeded to find an empty compartment.
She shut the compartment door and pulled the shade before turning to tackle her trunk. Her hands were set palm-up in front of her and then lifted straight up. Hot pink aura, invisible to the naked eye, flowed from her hands to wrap around the trunk. The trunk lifted into the air and, with a flick of Himeko's wrists, settled into the luggage rack.
Himeko nodded to herself and tucked herself into the corner next to the window. She pulled out a book and proceeded to read. She spent the trip like this, curled up and ignoring her soon-to-be classmates.
Himeko stepped off the train and glanced around. It appeared they'd arrived in Hogsmeade Village. A very large man with a lantern loomed over the children, even the oldest boys.
"Firs' years this way!" He shouted, holding one of his massive hands up to his beard.
Himeko worked her way through the crowd, following the other first year students toward the giant man. She spared a few glances in the opposite direction, though. The older students were streaming around the station; presumably heading toward the castle.
The giant man herded the first years toward the lake, where they scrambled into a small fleet of boats. Himeko found herself in the company of two boys and another girl. The first boy had a hooked nose and greasy black hair that glistened slightly in the lantern light. He leaned almost protectively over the thin, red-headed girl. Himeko dismissed them almost at once. They weren't nearly as interesting as the second boy.
He was pale, almost unnaturally so. His short brown hair was tousled and shaggy, hanging just over his ears. But the most interesting thing was his aura. It seemed to be not one, but two auras. One was a tawny gold and the other an almost dark chocolate brown. They were at odds with each other, roiling around the boy.
"It's rude to stare," said the girl, snapping Himeko out of her thoughts.
Himeko shrugged, swaying slightly as the boat launched itself. The others had more noticeable jerks in response to the movement. "Not much else to look at, though, is there?"
"It's okay, though," the interesting boy said quietly, his face flushing faintly in the lantern light.
"If it bothers you, I won't." Himeko turned her head, glancing around at the other boats.
"How old are you anyway?" asked the hooked-nose boy. "You look too old to be a first year."
Himeko gave him a sharp look. "I'm here, aren't I?"
The boy shrugged and went back to chatting with the girl.
The bottom of the boats scraped on gravel a few minutes later. Everyone scrambled out, splashing a bit and crunching on the gravel. Himeko let the other students move past her to stand behind the giant man. He knocked on a pair of large wooden doors.
The doors opened to admit a black-haired witch dressed in emerald green robes. She surveyed the sea of students from behind a rectangular pair of spectacles. Himeko saw an equally emerald green aura surrounding the woman, with vaguely cat-shaped ears framing her hat.
"Firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the giant man.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
Himeko stayed toward the back of the group as Professor McGonagall led them through what Himeko assumed to be the entrance hall. They entered a small room just off the hall, where Himeko leaned against a wall and the other students chattered nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said 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 House 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 honor. 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.
"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."
As soon as Professor McGonagall had left the room, the chattering started up again. Himeko glanced around the room, ignoring the other students. The walls were made of the same gray stone as the rest of the castle, or what she'd seen of it. The ceiling was relatively low, but she thought that might match the time period in which it was built.
She placed a hand on one rough-hewn stone and closed her eyes. A soft pink glow slid from her mind to the stone, a question housed in magic. The magic bounced back, giving her an affirmative answer. This place was hundreds of years old.
"Just what are you doing?" drawled a female voice, breaking Himeko out of her little trance.
She opened her eyes to see a girl with pale blond hair peering curiously at her from behind pale gray eyes. "Communing with the stone," Himeko told her matter-of-factually.
The girl didn't have a chance to retort as the doors swung open again.
Professor McGonagall stood in the doorway, motioning to them. "Now, form a line and follow me."
As the first years were led across the entrance hall, Himeko noticed that the blond stuck close to her. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. A moment later, Himeko found herself distracted by the entirely fire-lit room they were led into.
Thousands of candles floated above their heads against the backdrop of the night sky. Along the walls, huge torches added their light.
When the group ahead of her stopped, Himeko ran into a black-haired boy in front of her. He gave her a dirty look as she muttered an apology.
Professor McGonagall placed a stool on the dais directly in front of the first years. An extremely old, ratty wizard's hat was placed upon the stool. A split in the hat's fabric opened up as the hat began to sing.