CHAPTER TWO: The Sorting Ceremony
Evan walked up the staircase to see a teacher. When he spoke, he had a thick accent.
"Attention, students. My name is Professor Finnigan! I am the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Yes, I'm Irish, and I went to Hogwarts, but I will not be biased. As long as you aren't rude, I won't be. At Hogwarts, we have a hat, called the Sorting Hat that sorts us into our houses. That is not the case here. In fact, here we have statues of the four houses. Thunderbird, Pukwudgie, Horned Serpent, and Wampus. You will stand before them on the Gordian knot and you will then be chosen by a house. If multiple Houses choose you, then you can choose from the houses that want you. After that, you will follow your house leader to the wand room, where a wand will choose you. Eventually you will all meet in the great hall, where Headmaster Fontaine will speak" The teacher spoke.
"Is that Seamus Finnigan? He participated in the Battle Of Hogwarts, from what I've heard" Evan said. A girl looked at him. She studied his features fondly. Dirty blonde hair, which looked red in some light, emerald green eyes. Soft face, with his lips being fairly full. His eyebrows were almost a perfect arch, and his nose was crooked, like it had been broken previously and never fixed. His hair was somewhat short, but long enough to barely cover his ears. He parted on the left side of his head, and kept it unkempt and messy.
"The Battle of Hogwarts was twenty-one years ago. You believe he was there? No offence, but I don't think he looks old enough." the girl scoffed at him. Evan glared at her. Her auburn hair glistening in the fog and sunlight. She had her hair parted down the right, and her bangs curved right above her left eye. Her hair was pulled back behind her, and rested at about her mid waist. He could make out that she had a soft face. A small nose, and hazel eyes. But other than that, he couldn't tell much between the sun in his face and people in the way between the two of them. He tried to make his way over to her as Professor Finnigan started calling out names in alphabetical order. He accidentally ran into a boy with near pitch-black hair, and dark brown eyes. He was extremely pale, and hid himself away from everyone.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run into you" Evan told the kid. He just shrugged it off and buried his body in his robe. Evan could see that this kid didn't want to talk. Evan continued to look for the girl who started to argue with him. Just at that moment, Professor Finnigan called out his name. Evan started to make his way up to the Gordian knot. He looked at the mural of the knot on the floor. He then focused his eyes up to the four wooden statues of the house creatures. The giant snake with twin horns writhing out of its head, which he figured was the Horned Serpent. Then to the cat, which looked like a cross between a panther and a puma. It had a distinct two tails. Evan gathered this must be the Wampus. Then his eyes looked over to the bird. It seemed huge, and powerful. He felt like he had seen it before. Many American high schools tend to adopt this animal as their mascot. This had to be the Thunderbird. Then finally, his eyes slowly panned over to the last statue. It seemed human-like, with big ears, that seemed to fill it's whole side of its face. The creature also had what appeared to be spines along its back, like a porcupine. Evan was enthralled by this creature. He could only assume this must be the last one. The Pukwudgie. As he was studying the statues over and over again, just waiting for him to be claimed to a house. He had no idea how it would happen, as he wasn't paying attention before him. At that moment, the crystal in the Horned Serpent's forehead glew a bright red, as well as the Pukwudgie statue raised the arrow in its hand. A few people in the crowd gasped, but Professor Finnigan calmly walked over to Evan.
"Well the choice is up to you at this point." he told Evan. "You can choose the Horned Serpent house, or the Pukwudgie". Evan stood there, considering for a moment. He assumed this was a rare occurrence, to have two houses claim you. His eyes kept glancing over to the Pukwudgie statue. Something just seemed to attract his attention.
"I think I want to be a Pukwudgie" Evan whispered. Seamus nodded and waved at one of the Pukwudgie prefects over by the Pukwudgie statue. The prefect came over and brought Evan back to the others who the Pukwudgie had claimed. Evan looked around in wonder. This was nothing like how his mom described Hogwarts. A few more students were then sorted into their houses. Evan watched to see how each house claimed their students. Just like for him, the Horned Serpent's crystal glew bright red when it claimed someone. As well as the Pukwudgie raising it's arrow for each new student. When the Wampus claimed a new student, the cat roared. He questioned how he hadn't heard it prior. When the Thunderbird gained a new student, the enormous bird flapped its wings. This continued on for quite a bit. There were whispers and certain conversations going on between people all throughout the room.
"Jason LeStrange!" Seamus called out. The entire room suddenly went silent. Then slowly, a few whispers picked up, especially amongst the younger students.
"LeStrange? Like Bellatrix LeStrange? The crazed Voldemort follower from twenty years ago?" Evan overheard someone say. As Evan heard this, he remembered something that his mother had told him. About how his mother had witnessed the death of Bellatrix LeStrange by Molly Weasley. He remembered the stories his mother told him about the legendary Battle of Hogwarts, and how she had seen and done things she wishes to never speak aloud. While Evan was deep in thought, the boy that he had previously ran into, waddled up to the mural and the statues. It took a moment, but eventually the statue of the Pukwudgie raised its arrow. The house prefect hesitated, but eventually walked over to guide Jason over to the rest of the group. Jason stood next to Evan, and tried once again to hide himself, to no avail. Nearly every Pukwudgie students eyes were on him.
"I'm Evan. Evan Baxter" Evan introduced himself. Jason nodded and mumbled something. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Mom always said if you're gonna mumble something, then you best be talking to the Will-o'-the-Wisps" Evan told him. Jason chuckled.
"I'm Jason LeStrange. I know what the name sounds like, and I promise, I'm nothing like my family" Jason told him, still quiet, but audible this time. Evan smiled at him. Jason smiled back at him. Evan could clearly see his facial features now. Jason had hooded eyes, which were a dark brown. His lips incredibly small, and his nose was somewhat large, but it fit his face. His hair just barely covered his eyes, and was extremely ragged.
"I'm not worried about that. No one's like their families" Evan told him. Jason cracked a smile.
"Athena Prescott!" Professor Finnigan called out. The same girl that had argued with Evan finally stepped up. Almost as soon as she got up there, the Pukwudgie raised its arrow. She started walking to the Pukwudgie group, and met up with the prefect about halfway through. She ended up standing right next to Evan and Jason.
"So, I stand corrected. He could be old enough to have fought at Hogwarts" she apologized to Evan.
"I never said for fact that he did" Evan told her. She shrugged and extended her hand.
"I'm Athena. And you are?" she smiled. Evan shook her hand.
"I'm Evan Baxter. This is Jason LeStrange" Evan responded. She smiled at them both. They stood together watching the last of the first years get sorted between the four houses. As they finished up, the prefects led them each into another room, this time separated by the four houses. The prefects ended up handing out uniforms with each of the house symbols on them. The jackets were a royal blue with a cranberry red trim, and the inside of the jacket was cranberry as well. The pants matched the royal blue of the jacket. The shirt was a basic white dress shirt, and the vest was a cranberry red, with gold buttons and trim. The tie was striped blue and cranberry. The boots were solid black. The house logo on the jacket was a solid golden color, with the exception of the background to make the figure prominent, which was the same cranberry red. In Evan's, Athena's, and Jason's case, the Pukwudgie was viewed at a side angle, with a shield by its side, and a few arrows visible from behind the shield. At the side angle, the spines, like that of a porcupine, were incredibly prominent. Evan made the observation that the face of the Pukwudgie was similar to that of Native American drawings. There were changing rooms nearby, and the prefects made sure all the students were changed before continuing to the next room. Once all the students were changed into their uniforms, they were led into the next room, where they were to get their wands.