Snap, Crackle, Bang!
Chapter 11
The train stopped suddenly, the doors to the carriages springing open the second that the train stopped.
Kagome sighed, they had to leave their luggage in the train and it would be sent to their dorms, this included pets, which left Kitsune confused as Kagome followed Mary, Alice, Dorci and Lily off the train.
A large man, that Kagome guessed would be about nine feet tall, was calling out to the first year students, "First years this way, t'wards the boats!"
The smaller students rushed out of the train, following the giant man, presumably to cross the lake.
"Come on, Kagome," Lily tapped the girl on her shoulder, encouraging her to walk with them. They walked to a path in the forest, where empty carriages, pulled by the most daunting looking horses Kagome had ever seen awaited. She almost wanted to ask, but since none of the other girls even acknowledged their existence, she thought it might just be a regularity of the magical world, and that she would look stupid asking, though they did pique her curiosity.
When they got off the carriages, Kagome walked at Lily's side, glancing back to take a look at the demonic-looking horses, before turning around to take in the stunning architecture of the castle with wide eyes, the castle truly was beautiful, and a very fitting place for a magical school.
"This way is the way to the great hall," Lily told her, "It's where we eat, and where the sorting ceremony is held."
Professors lined the hallway, their eagle eyes watching the student's every move. Kagome met the searching gaze of a female professor, who was dressed in green robes, with a matching hat.
The woman strode out into the crowd of students, gesturing for Kagome to follow her.
"Lily, I'll see you later, thank you for your help! I'm getting sorted with the first years," She explained, following the professor to the side of the hall.
"Miss Higurashi, I am Professor McGonagall, the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts. I trust you are well aware, then, that you will be sorted with the first years?" The older woman asked, her extravagant pointy hat doing little to hid the greying hairs that framed her face.
Kagome nodded, "How do they sort us?"
The professor smiled, "Well, you'll have to wait and see, won't you?" She paused, spotting a crowd of first year students return from the lake, some of them noticeably soaked, "The first years are here, could you please get in the line, Miss Higurashi?"
Kagome nodded, standing at the front of the line as the professor opened the grand doors to the great hall with a quick flick of her ornate wand. She lead them through the centre of the hall, where they were practically paraded in front of the other students, just for them to line up at the base of the staff table, which, in front of it, had a wooden stool with a dusty looking hat on it.
Kagome almost gasped in shock as the hat of all things, the brown tattered hat started to sing.
"There's nothing in your head that the sorting hat can't see.
There's never been a smarter hat than me!
Place me on your head and I'll tell you where you ought to be,
Perhaps it's Gryffindor, where the brave dwell at heart,
Maybe it's Hufflepuff, where loyalty and kindness are,
It could be wise Ravenclaw, if you're smart, there you'll find your kind,
Or perhaps it's Slytherin, where their ambition knows no ends,
If you don't know, don't worry, for
A hand I shall lend."
The hat was awarded with cheers from all of the house tables, for the song it had composed.
"Let the ceremony commence!" Dumbledore shouted, silencing the cheers, "Let me first start with welcoming you, old or new, with a special thanks to our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lyon, for joining us this year." He paused to allow the students to clap for their new professor, a short man with little remaining hair and quite the spiteful attitude. "I would like to open our sorting ceremony with Kagome Higurashi, our sixth year transfer student from Japan."
Kagome mentally groaned as Professor McGonagall gestured for her to sit on the stool.
Bellatrix gasped, shaking Lucius out of his daydreaming, "There she is, it's her!" She pointed at the petite Japanese girl sitting on the stool.
Lucius only nodded, noting with a gulp that he could see a poorly concealed purple jewel hanging from her neck.
"I'm not going to fail him, Lucius. And you're going to help me," She demanded, a sinister look in her eyes.
Professor McGonagall settled the hat on her head, and it immediately felt like her mind was being invaded.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" The sorting hat asked mentally, "Could it be a priestess?"
The feeling reminded her of when Akago, one of Naraku's incarnations, was searching her soul for just a tiny shred of evil that he could use against her, though Kagome could tell the hat's intentions weren't as malicious.
"My, my, you have had some interesting adventures haven't you. Pure of heart, ambition drives you, but no, no, you wouldn't fit in with the Slytherin crowd." It muttered, "Perhaps Ravenclaw? No, you have little desire for knowledge, Hufflepuff? Your kindness knows no bounds, but your bravery is far more sound…" He paused, calling out "GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily cheered, watching the girl she had chatted with on the train get sorted into her house, and walk down the table to come sit next to the only people she knew, Lily, Mary, Alice and Dorci.
"You're a Gryffindor," Lily smiled.
"Yeah," Kagome replied happily, beaming at the girls she met on the train.
"She's the first transfer the school has had in fifty years," Remus told his friends, who he was very happy to be reunited with after a long summer of barely seeing them.
"I didn't know they had a magic in Japan," James remarked, paying Remus the smallest amount of attention he could, as he was busy staring at a certain redheaded Gryffindor that was sat on the other side of the table.
"Of course they do, James. Are you paying attention?" Remus asked, waving his hand in front of James' face.
Sirius laughed, "Of course he isn't, he's too busy staring at Evans."
James flushed, "Oh shut up, Padfoot."
"As I was saying, James. The Higurashi girl is the first transfer Hogwarts has had in fifty years, that's a big deal," Remus tried to tell him, though it was clear he wasn't getting through to him.
"I don't know why you bother," Peter sighed.
"Why's it a big deal anyway?" Sirius yawned.
Remus rolled his eyes, "Because transfer students are extremely rare. Could you imagine leaving Hogwarts and going to a different school in a different country?"
Sirius shrugged, "I wouldn't want to leave you guys behind," He paused, taking a look at the transfer student.
James turned to him, smirking, "Like what you see, Padfoot?"
It shocked him to receive just a nod instead of one of his usual snarky responses.
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