I absent-mindedly pet the black dog at Platform 9 ¾. Sure, I knew it was Sirius but I loved petting dogs. Harry, Ron and Hermione were smiling as they watched me, trying to suppress laughter.
"Snuffles! Come!" Ron teased. But Sirius just wagged his tail happily and nudged me forward to the train. I was wearing my robes onto the train. Ron and Hermione had as well because they were prefects. Ginny and Harry had only done the same because everyone else had. I had just been afraid that I would look even more muggle if I wore my muggle clothes. I didn't have any idea what my robes looked like on me. Hermione said I looked nice, but I think she just had thought that I looked like a skank wearing her shirts rising to navel level. Secretly I agreed with her unspoken beliefs.
"Now you be careful this year." Moody growled. He had been slow to trust me. I didn't mind. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Avoid fun at all costs." Tonks said, winking a brown eye that had been green earlier. I loved watching her transform. It was amazing.
I followed Ginny and Harry down the aisle, looking for a compartment. Ron and Hermione had gone to the prefect's compartment. A round-faced boy joined up with us, smiling warmly at us.
"Hello, Harry! Ginny! Er…."
"Favian." I supplied.
"I'm Neville." He said cheerfully, turning slightly pink at the neck.
Every compartment was full or near it. People acted very bizarrely when we walked by. Harry was steadily turning a deeper shade of red.
"They're all full!" Neville said aghast. "Well, almost full anyway."
"Oh, here's one. Old Looney Lovegood is all alone." Ginny looked in.
"Who?"
"A girl in my year."
I followed Ginny into the compartment and saw a girl with bulging gray eyes that rivaled mine. I will never complain about my eyes again. She was reading a magazine, upside-down.
"Hi Luna!" Ginny said sweetly. Apparently Ginny didn't like her too much, or thought she was bizarre. And she was.
"Hello." She looked around at us. "You're Harry Potter." She said flatly.
"Er… yes, I am."
She stared at him with her incredibly wide eyes.
We sat in silence, broken only by Ginny resisting her oncoming laughter.
"Look, Harry! Look what Gran got me!" Neville pulled out a cactus. I couldn't imagine why someone would get worked up over something like that. He said it was the mimble-wooty or something along those lines. He poked it and I ducked as black, foul-smelling ink issued from the plant and covered the compartment.
Harry removed his glasses and Neville spat some of the goo onto the floor.
"Well, that's never happened before." Neville said brightly.
"I didn't think so." I said, sitting up slowly. Ginny was laughing, doubled up on the floor.
Neville blushed. Then the door opened and an Asian girl stepped in. She was very pretty and reminded me strongly of one of my best friends, only because of her quiet demeanor and looks. My friend's name was Ming, but sometimes we called her Mingalingadoodong. Mostly people making fun of her though. People liked making fun of my crowd; it was just the thing to do.
"Oh… sorry, Harry." The girl started leaving.
"Hey, Cho. Sorry about the… mess."
"Just thought I'd stop by and say hi."
"Oh." I sensed Harry was blushing.
"See you." Cho left.
"Bye." Harry said softly to no one.
"Okay, let's clean this mess up." Ginny said.
"How?" Neville said desperately.
"Scourge!" I waved my wand and the compartment was immediately clean. "Oh yay."
Ginny grinned.
"Oh." Neville gaped. "Of course."
About a half hour went by before Ron and Hermione joined us.
"Just giving us the passwords and shifts. It's a lot of work being a prefect!" Ron said excitedly. I smiled for him.
"Yes, it's a big responsibility." Hermione agreed.
The door opened again and this time the pale-haired boy I had seen at Flourish and Blotts was there, flanked by two enormous lads with the thickest necks I had ever seen. He was puffing his chest out and flaunting a shiny prefect badge.
"That's right, Potter. Prefect." He smirked.
"Go away, Malfoy." Ron said.
"Can't make me, Weasley. We're both prefects." Malfoy turned his cold gaze to rest on me. "Ooh, what company you keep, Potter. Mudbloods, the Weasleys, and some American slut."
My mouth dropped open.
"Eat dung, Malfoy." Harry clenched his fists.
"I suppose she's your new favorite whore? I don't blame you. She is pretty." He laughed. I was sure he was making a crack at my acne. I resolved to check the mirror at school and break my three-month-mirrorless record. "I hear it's easy to get laid in America. Is that true?"
"For you, impossible. Unless you're in jail with a bunch of horny inmates." I snapped.
Malfoy turned pink. Ginny, Ron, and Harry were beside themselves with laughter.
"You'd best be careful." Malfoy narrowed his eyes at me. "If you know what's good for you'll be polite."
"I am, but only to deserving people." One of the thick-necked freaks by his side cracked his knuckles. I turned to him. "Are you going to hit me?"
"Come on, Crabbe, Goyle." And they left.
Though I had seemingly won whatever battle I was still fuming.
"Why does he do that?!" I asked Hermione, who was the only one not laughing.
"Oh, that's just Malfoy. It's the way he is." Hermione sniffed.
"I will never, ever forget that. Malfoy in a cell with… ooh, I love it!" Ron gasped.
"Who are you?" Luna asked, finally speaking.
"I'm Favian."
"That's a boy's name. I have an uncle named Favian."
"It sounds better for a girl." Ginny said in my defense.
"My uncle would probably agree. He is gay, after all."
Harry and Ron stared at Luna in fixed amazement. She went back to reading her magazine.
"First years! Come with me!" Called Professor Grubbly-Plank. I didn't know where to go. I stood, torn between following Hermione and going to the waiting boats. I hurried up to the teacher and introduced myself quickly, asking her where I should go. "Oh, it's you, is it? Minerva told me about you. Take the boat with me, we need to talk."
I sat in a canoe with her as the other silent first years sat in their own. The boats started moving of seemingly their own accord.
"Favian, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore thought it wise to change your last name in case muggles were to somehow hear about you. They're using your middle name. You are Favian Fynn now, that's what you'll react to during the sorting."
I had completely forgotten about the sorting. I wondered what House the hat would place me in. As long as it wasn't the one that Malfoy was in I didn't care which one it was. I sort of wanted to share one with Ginny and Hermione because I knew them.
It wasn't my first time seeing the castle, but at night it was astounding. Once again I found myself standing in a hallway with whispering paintings. Abigail and Mendague waved to me and I smiled back, not wanting to draw more attention to myself. The first years were all shorter than me and I stood out fairly well. Lucky for me they were all so tongue-tied with fear.
Professor McGonagall strode in and said something about the Houses and House-points. I didn't catch it all because I was so nervous.
"In a few moments you will enter the Great Hall with your classmates. After you are sorted you will sit with your Houses at dinner and all future meal-times." Professor McGonagall surveyed the trembling first years with tight lips then left the room.
"Are you a first year?" A boy behind me blurted.
"Not really." I admitted. "But I need to be sorted."
"Oh. What are the schools in America like?"
I shrugged. "They're okay." I realized he was talking about wizarding schools. Instead of correcting myself I decided to let him think otherwise.
The doors to the Great Hall opened slowly and we were led in.
The sky was the ceiling, starry and magnificent. I felt my breath taken away. Hermione had lent me Hogwarts, a History but I had only skimmed. I vaguely remembered something mentioned about an enchanted ceiling.
A rather unremarkable hat sat on a stool and the entire student body was focused on it. I half expected it to start flying around and bonking the students into chairs. Instead it broke into song.
(A/N: I don't want to write the song out, if you have the fifth book it's on pages 204-206)
The Great Hall was silent and people clapped uncertainly. It sounded like House rivalry was getting to the hat. From what I had heard it was mostly everyone against Slytherin. At the Slytherin table sat Malfoy and his enormous bodyguard-friends. They didn't look like the happiest bunch in the world. Far from, they were smirking rather unpleasantly, constantly. Malfoy sat next to an unattractive pug-faced girl. Probably his girlfriend. She was probably a twerp.
"Abercrombie, Euan." McGonagall called loudly. The boy stumbled up to the hat and put it on before it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" The table exploded in applause. I was used to being one of the first to go but McGonagall went through the C's without saying my name. I couldn't figure it out.
Fynn, oh. I thought. A girl behind me with pigtails smiled shakily at me. While the Ravenclaw table clapped she said "I have a Z last name, I'm always last."
"What's your name?"
"Rose. What's yours?"
"Favian."
"I like that."
"Thanks." The Ravenclaws quieted and we shut up.
"Farley, Michael." Became a Hufflepuff. And "Fee, Danny." Became one too.
"Fynn, Favian." I didn't move at first but Rose nudged me. I walked forward slowly, ignoring as best I could the whispers around me. I was obviously not a first year. Hermione smiled encouragingly at me and Ginny grinned. Fred and George blew kisses, which sent me walking even faster. I sat down on the stool, fearing I would fall off and send the room into helpless laughter. McGonagall, before dropping the hat on my head, whispered to me.
"Tomorrow the other students will be receiving their schedules but you'll spend all day testing in different areas." And the hat dropped over my eyes. My sweaty fingers grasped the seat tightly.
Hello Favian. The hat said to me.
Hi. I tried to be cordial. I liked your song, it was good.
Thank you. Now let me see… ooh, I'm sorry that you came here under such circumstances. You were brave to do some of these things, incredibly brave, yes. Sympathetic too. I see you don't sit around and cry for yourself.
I want to sometimes. I admitted.
The hat chuckled. That's only natural. Hm, quite a mind you have! Very intelligent. I see you've read your books, excellent. Excellent. You're also a diligent worker.
What House does that put me in?
Difficult. You're clearly somewhat ambitious but not nearly ambitious enough for Slytherin. So that leaves it to three… let me think.
I sat quietly and stared into the blackness of the hat.
Definitely. I've got it.
"GRYFFINDOR!" It shouted. Silently I thanked it before taking it off. Fred and George were whistling. I smiled and blushed. Fred and George scooted over to let me sit between them. They had a black boy their age sitting next to George. He was introduced to me as Lee Jordan.
The sorting ended with Rose Zeller, the girl who had spoken to me in line. McGonagall took the stool and hat away as Professor Dumbledore stood.
"To our newcomers, welcome! To our old hands, welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not one of them. Tuck in!"
Everyone laughed. Ron clapped his hands together as food appeared. I found that I was quite hungry too.
"Excellent." Ron grinned.
I looked down the table and saw Dean and Seamus from Madam Malkin's. They were watching me. I hadn't seen them before. I smiled and said hello. They greeted me as well. Then we were all gone behind a mound of food.