A Shadow Rising
Chapter 5: Welcome to Hogwarts
Norah stared at her feet. "I'm Norah... Potter," she answered quietly.
"Potter," he stated. "Oh."
"Oh," she said.
"I've got to go," said Dominic, giving her a suspicious sort of glance. "See you."
"Yeah, bye," Norah sighed as he slammed the door to his compartment. 'Great...' she thought. 'The one bloke I think is really cute turns out to be a Malfoy. Just my luck! Oh well... He's probably no good anyway.'
She managed to find Christina, and after about ten minutes Becky's hair was back to normal, much to everyone's relief. Becky was feeling chipper as the train pulled up to the station in Hogsmeade.
"So that cute bloke turned out to be a Malfoy, eh?" Becky asked, hopping off the train and onto the platform. Norah nodded and her cousin shrugged in return. "Who cares, Norah, you can go find yourself some equally cute bloke who's decent as well."
"Sure," Norah said. "It's not like a fancied him or anything." She looked around and spotted a middle aged man who was attempting to get the crowd's attention. "Oh, that must be the Groundskeeper, Professor Morganson," she noted. The former Groundskeeper at Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid, had been one of the unfortunate ones to die in the war against Voldemort, fifteen years before. Professor Morganson had taken over his duties at Hogwarts, including teaching Care of Magical Creatures.
"Hello, all First Years, please follow me to the boats! You will be seperated into groups of three, and then you will board a boat with a prefect, which will carry you across the lake to the castle."
Norah was put into a group with Becky and a small girl with mousy brown hair who introduced herself as Enid Amberton. Norah stared up at the castle, transfixed, as the boat made its way across to lake. When they reached shore they were lead up to the castle and into the Entrance Hall, where Professor Sinistra, the Deputy Headmistress greeted them.
"Welcome First Years!" she smiled. "In a minute I will lead you through those doors into the Great Hall, and you will be sorted into your houses. The four options are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. I will call the names off a sheet of parchment in alphabetical order. When your name is called, please step up to the stool, take a seat, and place the Sorting Hat on your head. After it has sorted you, go directly to the table of your house, and remain seated for the rest of the sorting and the feast. Is everyone clear?"
There was a collective nod from the First Years present.
"Good," she said. "Ah, it looks like they're ready for us. Come along, then." She lead the group of students through the doors and into the Great Hall. Norah noticed her cousins and brother waving at them madly. She waved back, forcing a smile, but she felt like she was about to faint.
"Amberton, Enid!" the girl who had shared a boat with Norah and Becky stepped up to the stool and, hands shaking, placed the hat on her head.
"Gryffindor!" the Hat called. Enid, sporting a broad grin, joined the Gryffindor table to the cheers of her fellow students. Norah noticed in amusement that when the girl caught sight of Michael Potter, she blushed and stared at her plate.
"Dryler, Nelly!" Professor Sinistra called. The girl was sorted into Hufflepuff.
"Elbert, Morgan!" became a Ravenclaw.
Soon Hemforth, Robin was sorted into Slytherin, and Lennings, Kate was sorted into Hufflepuff.
Then came a name Norah recognised. "Longbottom, Jason!" a chubby boy with light brown hair stepped up to the stool, and was sorted into Hufflepuff. Norah was a bit surprised, since she knew both of his parents had been Gryffindors, but she had heard of it happening before.
"Longbottom, Julia!" was called up next and, to Norah's surprise, joined the Gryffindor table. She hadn't thought before that brothers and sisters could be in seperate houses. This made her all the more nervous.
"Malfoy, Dominic!"
Norah's head snapped up. Dominic set the Hat on his head. There seemed to be some sort of debate going on between the Hat and the boy, because Dominic had taken on a rather agitated look. Finally the Hat made its decision. "Slytherin!"
"I knew it!" Norah said to Becky, who was standing beside her. "Malfoys always get sorted into Slytherin. I wonder why it took so long..." but she had no time to debate.
"Potter, Norah!" she gulped and stepped up the the stool, placing the hat on her head. At once it began to speak to her.
"Ah, the second Potter child, I see!" it exclaimed. "My my, isn't this interesting! You seem to have inherited a great deal of your father's personality, as well as your mother's. So tell me, Norah, which house do you think you should be in?"
"Gryffindor!" she thought. "Definitely Gryffindor."
"So sure?" the Hat mused. "Your whole family has been in Gryffindor, yes, but why otherwise are you so quick to rule out the other houses?"
"Well I'm not smart enough to go in Ravenclaw," she replied, "and as for Hufflepuff, I guess I just don't feel like I belong to that house."
"And Slytherin?"
"Slytherin?" she laughed inwardly. "I'm not going in Slytherin. There's no way I'm going in that house."
"What if I told you you had many of the qualities specific to those of Slytherin?" the Hat asked.
"I'd be very disturbed," Norah shot back.
"I also see that much of your fate lies in Slytherin."
"I don't care!"
"Not all Slytherins are bad people, Norah," the Hat replied. "And if you don't believe me, you will soon."
"I believe you," she sighed. "Just, please, don't put me in that house!"
"As you wish," the Hat replied, then called aloud for everyone to hear, "Gryffindor!"
Norah heaved a sigh of relief, and went to sit next to Julia Longbottom at the Gryffindor table, to watch the rest of the sorting.
"I haven't seen you in so long!" Julia exclaimed. "I got so excited when it put you in Gryffindor! You look exactly the same as you did six or seven ago, you know!"
Norah laughed. "Oh great, I look like a four-year-old. You've changed a bit, though. Your hair's darker."
"Yeah, I'm taking after my mum," the girl laughed. "Oh look, Becky's being sorted!"
Becky joined the Gryffindor table, and after two more students were sorted, the feast began. Norah, Becky, and Julia did more talking than eating as they had quite a bit of catching up to do.
"So why did you move to Ireland?" Norah asked.
Julia shrugged. "Change of scene and society, I guess," she laughed. "Anyway, I'm sad Jason got put into Hufflepuff. I was hoping we'd get into the same house."
"What?" Norah asked incredulously. "You actually get along with your brother?" Becky looked surprised as well.
"Oh, sure!" Julia said. "Well we fight sometimes, but usually we get along just great."
"I'm jealous," Becky sighed. "My brothers are idiots."
"My brother's an idiot too," Norah nodded.
"That Enid girl sure doesn't seem to think so," Julia pointed out, motioning to Enid who, at that moment, blushed and stuttered 'thanks' as Michael Potter offered her the bowl of potatoes.
"Looks like someone fancies your brother, Norah!" Becky giggled.
"And I don't know why," Norah rolled her eyes. "What's there to fancy about him?"
"Well he is quite good looking," Julia observed. "But other than that, I don't really know him."
"Be glad that you don't," Norah sighed. "He's a bloody menace to society, he is."
The feast ended, and the Gryffindors were lead up to their common room, outside of which the portrait of the Fat Lady greeted them.
"Password, please," she nodded.
"Drowzy hippogriff," the prefect said. The portrait swung back, and the Gryffindors entered the common room.
"This place is brill!" Becky exclaimed, surveying the room. "It's just how Mum and Dad described it! Don't you think, Norah?"
"Yeah," Norah agreed. "It's great."
The cousins climbed the stairs to the First Year girls' dormitory, which they shared with Julia, Enid, and another girl named Ruby Grey. They found that their luggage had already been brought up, and as they unpacked, they chatted.
"I'm muggle born," said Ruby. "When I got my letter, I thought it was a joke. I don't know anything about anything here," she laughed.
"Me too," Enid piped up. "I feel really dumb."
"Don't," Norah replied, "you'll fit in fine. Loads of muggle borns come to Hogwarts, right?"
"Right," Julia replied. "Give yourself a month and you'll forget all about that muggle stuff, like... tellyvissens!"
"Televisions," Ruby corrected. "And computers."
"What?" Norah, Becky, and Julia asked simultaneously.
"Nevermind," Ruby laughed.
"I did hear a lot about things on the train," Enid said. "About that war, and Dumbledore, and Harry Potter, and You-know-who. Wow, I'm glad he's not around anymore!"
"Um, yeah, so am I," Norah made herself busy with unpacking her socks.
"Oh don't mind her," Becky sighed. "She always gets like that when someone talks about her father, because he's so famous and all, and she's shy."
"What?! You-know-who is her her father?!" Ruby gasped. Enid looked startled.
"No no, not him!" Becky laughed. "Harry Potter, that's her father!"
"Oh!" the girls looked relieved, and Norah had to laugh at the thought of the Dark Lord being her dad. Soon the conversation moved on to lighter things.
"I've got three younger sisters, you know," Ruby stated. "Do you think they'll come to Hogwarts too?"
"I guess it depends," Julia replied, "on whether or not they've got magic in their blood. The only way to really know for sure is if they get a letter when they're eleven."
"I haven't got any brothers or sister," Enid replied. "I've always wanted one, though. What about you three, do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Yes," Julia laughed. "Four of them. Jason, Nathan, Andrew, and Sarah."
"I've got two brothers, Marcus and William, and they're more than enough, thanks," Becky made a face.
"And I've got one brother, Michael," Norah answered, then grinned. "You know him, Enid. You were sitting beside him at the feast."
Enid blushed and stammered, "Oh, him! He's your brother!" she flopped down on her bed, and stared up at the ceiling. "The son of Harry Potter? I haven't got a chance!" she moaned, flipped over, and buried her face in her pillows.
Chapter 5: Welcome to Hogwarts
Norah stared at her feet. "I'm Norah... Potter," she answered quietly.
"Potter," he stated. "Oh."
"Oh," she said.
"I've got to go," said Dominic, giving her a suspicious sort of glance. "See you."
"Yeah, bye," Norah sighed as he slammed the door to his compartment. 'Great...' she thought. 'The one bloke I think is really cute turns out to be a Malfoy. Just my luck! Oh well... He's probably no good anyway.'
She managed to find Christina, and after about ten minutes Becky's hair was back to normal, much to everyone's relief. Becky was feeling chipper as the train pulled up to the station in Hogsmeade.
"So that cute bloke turned out to be a Malfoy, eh?" Becky asked, hopping off the train and onto the platform. Norah nodded and her cousin shrugged in return. "Who cares, Norah, you can go find yourself some equally cute bloke who's decent as well."
"Sure," Norah said. "It's not like a fancied him or anything." She looked around and spotted a middle aged man who was attempting to get the crowd's attention. "Oh, that must be the Groundskeeper, Professor Morganson," she noted. The former Groundskeeper at Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid, had been one of the unfortunate ones to die in the war against Voldemort, fifteen years before. Professor Morganson had taken over his duties at Hogwarts, including teaching Care of Magical Creatures.
"Hello, all First Years, please follow me to the boats! You will be seperated into groups of three, and then you will board a boat with a prefect, which will carry you across the lake to the castle."
Norah was put into a group with Becky and a small girl with mousy brown hair who introduced herself as Enid Amberton. Norah stared up at the castle, transfixed, as the boat made its way across to lake. When they reached shore they were lead up to the castle and into the Entrance Hall, where Professor Sinistra, the Deputy Headmistress greeted them.
"Welcome First Years!" she smiled. "In a minute I will lead you through those doors into the Great Hall, and you will be sorted into your houses. The four options are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. I will call the names off a sheet of parchment in alphabetical order. When your name is called, please step up to the stool, take a seat, and place the Sorting Hat on your head. After it has sorted you, go directly to the table of your house, and remain seated for the rest of the sorting and the feast. Is everyone clear?"
There was a collective nod from the First Years present.
"Good," she said. "Ah, it looks like they're ready for us. Come along, then." She lead the group of students through the doors and into the Great Hall. Norah noticed her cousins and brother waving at them madly. She waved back, forcing a smile, but she felt like she was about to faint.
"Amberton, Enid!" the girl who had shared a boat with Norah and Becky stepped up to the stool and, hands shaking, placed the hat on her head.
"Gryffindor!" the Hat called. Enid, sporting a broad grin, joined the Gryffindor table to the cheers of her fellow students. Norah noticed in amusement that when the girl caught sight of Michael Potter, she blushed and stared at her plate.
"Dryler, Nelly!" Professor Sinistra called. The girl was sorted into Hufflepuff.
"Elbert, Morgan!" became a Ravenclaw.
Soon Hemforth, Robin was sorted into Slytherin, and Lennings, Kate was sorted into Hufflepuff.
Then came a name Norah recognised. "Longbottom, Jason!" a chubby boy with light brown hair stepped up to the stool, and was sorted into Hufflepuff. Norah was a bit surprised, since she knew both of his parents had been Gryffindors, but she had heard of it happening before.
"Longbottom, Julia!" was called up next and, to Norah's surprise, joined the Gryffindor table. She hadn't thought before that brothers and sisters could be in seperate houses. This made her all the more nervous.
"Malfoy, Dominic!"
Norah's head snapped up. Dominic set the Hat on his head. There seemed to be some sort of debate going on between the Hat and the boy, because Dominic had taken on a rather agitated look. Finally the Hat made its decision. "Slytherin!"
"I knew it!" Norah said to Becky, who was standing beside her. "Malfoys always get sorted into Slytherin. I wonder why it took so long..." but she had no time to debate.
"Potter, Norah!" she gulped and stepped up the the stool, placing the hat on her head. At once it began to speak to her.
"Ah, the second Potter child, I see!" it exclaimed. "My my, isn't this interesting! You seem to have inherited a great deal of your father's personality, as well as your mother's. So tell me, Norah, which house do you think you should be in?"
"Gryffindor!" she thought. "Definitely Gryffindor."
"So sure?" the Hat mused. "Your whole family has been in Gryffindor, yes, but why otherwise are you so quick to rule out the other houses?"
"Well I'm not smart enough to go in Ravenclaw," she replied, "and as for Hufflepuff, I guess I just don't feel like I belong to that house."
"And Slytherin?"
"Slytherin?" she laughed inwardly. "I'm not going in Slytherin. There's no way I'm going in that house."
"What if I told you you had many of the qualities specific to those of Slytherin?" the Hat asked.
"I'd be very disturbed," Norah shot back.
"I also see that much of your fate lies in Slytherin."
"I don't care!"
"Not all Slytherins are bad people, Norah," the Hat replied. "And if you don't believe me, you will soon."
"I believe you," she sighed. "Just, please, don't put me in that house!"
"As you wish," the Hat replied, then called aloud for everyone to hear, "Gryffindor!"
Norah heaved a sigh of relief, and went to sit next to Julia Longbottom at the Gryffindor table, to watch the rest of the sorting.
"I haven't seen you in so long!" Julia exclaimed. "I got so excited when it put you in Gryffindor! You look exactly the same as you did six or seven ago, you know!"
Norah laughed. "Oh great, I look like a four-year-old. You've changed a bit, though. Your hair's darker."
"Yeah, I'm taking after my mum," the girl laughed. "Oh look, Becky's being sorted!"
Becky joined the Gryffindor table, and after two more students were sorted, the feast began. Norah, Becky, and Julia did more talking than eating as they had quite a bit of catching up to do.
"So why did you move to Ireland?" Norah asked.
Julia shrugged. "Change of scene and society, I guess," she laughed. "Anyway, I'm sad Jason got put into Hufflepuff. I was hoping we'd get into the same house."
"What?" Norah asked incredulously. "You actually get along with your brother?" Becky looked surprised as well.
"Oh, sure!" Julia said. "Well we fight sometimes, but usually we get along just great."
"I'm jealous," Becky sighed. "My brothers are idiots."
"My brother's an idiot too," Norah nodded.
"That Enid girl sure doesn't seem to think so," Julia pointed out, motioning to Enid who, at that moment, blushed and stuttered 'thanks' as Michael Potter offered her the bowl of potatoes.
"Looks like someone fancies your brother, Norah!" Becky giggled.
"And I don't know why," Norah rolled her eyes. "What's there to fancy about him?"
"Well he is quite good looking," Julia observed. "But other than that, I don't really know him."
"Be glad that you don't," Norah sighed. "He's a bloody menace to society, he is."
The feast ended, and the Gryffindors were lead up to their common room, outside of which the portrait of the Fat Lady greeted them.
"Password, please," she nodded.
"Drowzy hippogriff," the prefect said. The portrait swung back, and the Gryffindors entered the common room.
"This place is brill!" Becky exclaimed, surveying the room. "It's just how Mum and Dad described it! Don't you think, Norah?"
"Yeah," Norah agreed. "It's great."
The cousins climbed the stairs to the First Year girls' dormitory, which they shared with Julia, Enid, and another girl named Ruby Grey. They found that their luggage had already been brought up, and as they unpacked, they chatted.
"I'm muggle born," said Ruby. "When I got my letter, I thought it was a joke. I don't know anything about anything here," she laughed.
"Me too," Enid piped up. "I feel really dumb."
"Don't," Norah replied, "you'll fit in fine. Loads of muggle borns come to Hogwarts, right?"
"Right," Julia replied. "Give yourself a month and you'll forget all about that muggle stuff, like... tellyvissens!"
"Televisions," Ruby corrected. "And computers."
"What?" Norah, Becky, and Julia asked simultaneously.
"Nevermind," Ruby laughed.
"I did hear a lot about things on the train," Enid said. "About that war, and Dumbledore, and Harry Potter, and You-know-who. Wow, I'm glad he's not around anymore!"
"Um, yeah, so am I," Norah made herself busy with unpacking her socks.
"Oh don't mind her," Becky sighed. "She always gets like that when someone talks about her father, because he's so famous and all, and she's shy."
"What?! You-know-who is her her father?!" Ruby gasped. Enid looked startled.
"No no, not him!" Becky laughed. "Harry Potter, that's her father!"
"Oh!" the girls looked relieved, and Norah had to laugh at the thought of the Dark Lord being her dad. Soon the conversation moved on to lighter things.
"I've got three younger sisters, you know," Ruby stated. "Do you think they'll come to Hogwarts too?"
"I guess it depends," Julia replied, "on whether or not they've got magic in their blood. The only way to really know for sure is if they get a letter when they're eleven."
"I haven't got any brothers or sister," Enid replied. "I've always wanted one, though. What about you three, do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Yes," Julia laughed. "Four of them. Jason, Nathan, Andrew, and Sarah."
"I've got two brothers, Marcus and William, and they're more than enough, thanks," Becky made a face.
"And I've got one brother, Michael," Norah answered, then grinned. "You know him, Enid. You were sitting beside him at the feast."
Enid blushed and stammered, "Oh, him! He's your brother!" she flopped down on her bed, and stared up at the ceiling. "The son of Harry Potter? I haven't got a chance!" she moaned, flipped over, and buried her face in her pillows.