Chapter four-Let the Sorting Begin!
The train's lights beamed down on them, the sky outside the windows was dark. Ron and Kasei were playing wizard chess while Hailey sat watching them, petting Hermionie's cat Crookshanks behind his ears and chatting with Hermionie.
"Actually, Hogwarts: A history is a biased representation of the school itself." Hermionie said, flipping through the pages of the book with a frown. "I like the book but it's not as accurate as it should be. For instance," She stopped flipping and showed Hailey the page under her fingers. "The Forbidden Forest is far more dangerous then it's even mentioned in here. It says there are centaurs, and a few other dangerous creatures but, in reality there are tons."
"Yeah," Ron piped up. He nudged his pawn into battle with Kasei's knight. "Like giant spiders, murderous werewolves, and thestrals."
"And Grawp." Harry suddenly added. There was a short pause; it was the first time he'd spoken in a few hours. Hermionie cleared her throat. "He's a giant."
"Yes, he knows me as Hermy." Hermionie joked. Hailey smiled slightly. There was a loud clashing sound and they all looked around to see Ron's pawn go down. The door suddenly opened and a black haired girl poked her head in. She was really pretty and Hailey watched her closely as she smiled shyly at them all.
"Hi." She said quietly, "Hermionie, Ron, Ginny…Harry." Hailey looked round at Harry who kept his face to the window. "Harry, can I talk to you?"
Harry finally looked at her and sighed. "Why?" He asked roughly. The girl's brow furrowed. "I have people here I can talk to…" Hailey felt sorry for her, tears were swimming in the girl's eyes. Humiliation of rejection in front of so many witnesses no doubt. "Go away Cho, I have nothing to say to you."
The girl, Cho, began to cry and closed the door. They could hear her running away down the train. Ginny looked at Harry, angry. "Nice." She snapped, "Cho was trying to tell you something and you blew her off. What the hell's wrong with you." Harry stood up.
"What the hell do you think?" He asked. Suddenly he was out the door and gone. Hailey watched the place where he had disappeared. The door slowly rolled closed and all was silent in the cabin. No one seemed to know what to say. Finally, Braiden broke the silence.
"So, Ginny." He said, "What's you're favorite quidditch team?"
"I'll be back, I've got to go to the bathroom." Hailey said. She closed the compartment door and began to make her way down the train, swaying with its motion. The bathroom door was closed and her teeth were almost swimming.
She knocked hard. "Open up, for heaven sakes, I gotta pee!" The door opened and Harry appeared. Hailey suddenly wished she could sink right through the floor. Had she said she'd needed to pee?
"Hey." Harry said quietly, looking over her shoulder. There were heads poking out of compartments left and right. "How bad do you need to go?"
"Why does it matter?" Hailey asked, bouncing now. She was going burst and she was already embarrassed. She was such a stupid idiot! "Let me through."
"I need a few more minutes." Harry said simply, shrugging. Hailey could have murdered him.
"Why, how much make up do you need? I need the bathroom for three minutes, that's it. Move!" Harry stepped aside and Hailey made to squeeze past when suddenly the train jerked and a door nearby opened. It was a second storage area for the train. The luggage inside spilled out, knocking Hailey head long into Harry. They both were knocked into the wall and Hailey, who had grabbed on to the nearest thing for support as her legs were pummeled by luggage, looked up slowly and saw Harry watching her with an interested expression on his face.
She finally got a good look at him. The close up picture from the magazine didn't do him justice. He was gorgeous, his messy black hair falling around his face, almost hiding his green eyes and his lightning bolt scar. She could suddenly see why he was a teen heartthrob. She pulled away from him, feeling his muscles beneath his shirt and noticing he winced slightly when she touched his arm.
"Are you okay?" She asked. Harry nodded.
"I'm fine." He said, there were dark circles under his eyes as though he hadn't had enough sleep and the haunted look still held his eyes. He tried to smile reassuringly to her and she noticed that, even though he wasn't trying, it was still a great smile.
"Are you guys alright?" They both looked around to see Hermionie followed by the others rushing over. Hailey nodded and took Ron's offered hand as he helped her over the luggage. "We heard the crashes and came to investigate."
"Yes, I'm fine…Harry too." Hailey said, staring at Harry's arm. Had she perhaps scratched him when she'd grabbed him? Ron offered Harry his hand but he shook his hand and hopped around bags and cases himself. Hailey looked longingly at the bathroom.
"I really have to go." Ron smiled down at her and waved his wand. The luggage sprang back into the room and the door closed. "Thanks." Hailey made her way to the bathroom as the others went back to the carriage. Inside, she did her business and went to wash her hands before she noticed something inside the sink. There were spots of blood around the rim of the basin. She suddenly realized what was wrong with Harry's arms and pulled her sleeves up past her elbows, running her fingers over the long thin scars on her arms.
Many of the scars there were from the accident but some of them were courtesy of a razor. She thought back to Harry and shivered. They had more than one thing in common now.
The station platform was chilly as a mist hung over them. Exiting the train was difficult with the milling people pushing past but the twins held on to each other and managed to keep up with the others. Harry was carrying an owl cage that held his snowy, Hedwig. Ron carried a hooting Pigwidgeon or something like that and Hermionie carried Crookshanks.
"Thestrals." Hailey gasped, staring at the black horses in awe. "Wow, real thestrals!" Ron smiled over at Hailey and began to laugh.
"Never seen a thestral?" He asked sarcastically. Hailey glared at him and then punched him playfully on the arm.
"Have you?" She asked. Ron's smile faded and he was suddenly serious.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think about what I was saying." Ron glanced over at Harry and then continued, "Who…"
"Our mom." Braiden piped up, staring at the carriage shafts. "Are they there? I can't see them!"
"Pray you don't see them any time soon." Hermionie said behind him. Braiden turned to look at her. A lantern was bobbing over the heads of the crowd. Its beam caught the seven of them and a voice said boomed out.
"Al righ' Harry, Ron…Hermionie, Ginny." A giant man stood behind the lantern, his face hidden by a mass of tangled black beard and framed by course hair. He had to be at least twice as tall as a normal man and three times as wide. Beetle black eyes twinkled at them from behind the wild mane. Hailey gasped and stepped back, walking on Harry's feet. "An' who are they?"
"This is Braiden, Hailey and Kasei." Ginny said, stepping forward. She turned to them; "This is Hagrid."
"Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of the keys and grounds at Hogwarts." He shook their hands, or, rather their whole arms. "An' I'm the care of magical creatures teacher." Braiden smiled.
"I'll be with you then." He said eagerly. Apparently, Hagrid's size made him even that more exciting to Braiden. "I can't wait, what are we studying?"
"Well, tha' there's a surprise it is." Hagrid answered, winking at him. He smiled at them, watching Harry for a moment and then continued, "I'll see you around then." And then he turned away, calling out "firs' years over 'ere." As he went.
"Come on, let's get a carriage." Ginny said. "They'll be all gone if we don't hurry." They pushed their way through the crowd and found two carriages. Hermionie, Kasei, Ron and Ginny climbed in the first, leaving Harry, Hailey and Braiden standing outside. Kasei looked around at the others in the carriage with her, embarrassed.
"I'll get out so Harry can come in this one." She said, getting up. Hermionie pushed her down.
"Don't be silly. Harry doesn't mind and besides, we'll be together when we get off. They'll be in the one right behind ours." Ron smiled and closed the door, leaning out the window.
"Good luck, mate." He said, pointing over Harry's shoulder. Harry turned and groaned making Hailey spin around to look to. A girl with long blond hair, protrubent eyes and a dreamy expression on her face was making her way through the crowd towards them.
"Hey Luna." Ron called from the carriage window, waving. The girl, Luna, looked up slightly surprised at being addressed.
"Oh, hello Ronald." She said, watching him closely. Hailey could have sworn the girl was on drugs the way she seemed to float around. "Good summer?"
"Not bad. You can go with Harry in the next carriage if you want." Luna turned her attention to Harry and stared at him for a few seconds, as though she were trying to get him into focus. Then, she drifted past him and disappeared into the interiors of the carriage, swallowed by the dark. Hailey followed her, looking over her shoulder to see Harry glaring at Ron.
The carriage smelled of moldy straw and Hailey felt like she was going to sneeze instantly. Luna, who was sitting across from her waited until the last person in, Braiden, closed the door before she turned her gaze from the window and stared at Hailey a long time before speaking.
"I don't know you." She said vaguely. Her large eyes shifted from Hailey to Braiden who recoiled into the seat as far as he would go. "Or you."
"I'm Hailey." Hailey answered, meeting the girl's eyes. She tried hard not to blink but the girl's intense stare was disconcerting. "My sister, Kasei is in the next carriage and this is my annoying brother, Braiden." Braiden waved weakly and watched Luna. Luna didn't move her eyes to Braiden but instead stare at Hailey the whole trip until Hermionie's voice echoed into their carriage.
"Hailey! Look out the window!" She screamed. Hailey did as she was told, pulling back the curtain on the window and staring out at the beautiful sight meeting her eyes. Hogwart's castle, a mass of turrets and towers, hundreds of feet high at least, situated by a large lake and framed by mountains on either side. She could see lit windows, spattered like freckles across the school's face and she realized with a nervous jolt that it was a lot bigger then her old school.
"Oh my god." Hailey said vaguely, sounding more like Luna then herself. Braiden, who was leaning on her, looking out to could only smile. It was too much. Her sister was in the carriage in front and had her head stuck out the window to. She looked back and smiled.
"Whoa, eh? A person could get lost in there." Hailey's stomach jolted. Yes, a person could get lost in there…and she probably would. Harry seemed to be thinking a long the same lined as her. When she stuck her head back in and leaned against the seat, he spoke.
"It'll take a few days to get adjusted. I still don't now everything about the castle." Hailey smiled, glad to hear him talk and let the carriage lull her as it slowly drove her to her new home for the rest of the year.
They arrived in the shadows of the castle some five minutes later and the carriages trundled to a halt, illuminating the people stepping out by the combination of their candle lanterns on either side, the moon and the lights in the castle.
Kasei was the last out, her mouth opened in awe at the sights before her. She let her eyes wander down the line of carriages stretching down the gravel road, to the small hut on the edge of the forest, it's dark windows catching the lights around it, trees swaying behind and the kids her age running up the steps and into the shelter of the castle.
Hailey and Braiden caught up with Harry and Luna and all of them made their way up the steps and into the brightly lit entrance hall. It was huge! A marble staircase graced the end of the hall, statues here and there…her house would have fit at least ten times inside here alone. They were being ushered by the crowd to go to the large hall in at the right.
Four long house tables laden with golden plates and goblets sat beneath a starry ceiling. Hailey and Kasei stared at it. They'd both read about it but seeing it…it was so much different, such a reminder of the magic all around them.
"It reflects the sky outside." Hermionie whispered into their ears, making them jump. "Of course, you know that already." Hailey nodded and Hermionie led them to the table on the far right. "You can sit with us until you find out you're houses. That'll probably be after dinner I expect." Hailey sat down beside Ginny and Kasei, looking at the plates. They were real gold, she was sure of it.
"This place is so cool!" Braiden said, leaning into the table to look down at the other students. He began playing with his robes; " I miss the green ones though."
"What ever, I think black is way cooler." Hailey said, playing with the neck of her own robes and looking up at the staff table. "Who are all they?"
Ron leaned over and began counting them off, "Treylawnie, Sinistra, Vector, Flitwick, Sprout, Pomfrey the matron, Dumbledore, Snape…wait, who's that?" Ron was pointing to the man beside Snape. Kasei, Hailey and Braiden gasped in unison.
"Dad?" Kasei whispered, open-mouthed. "What is he doing here?"
"Maybe this is his special assignment." Braiden said, staring to. Their dad was talking to Snape animatedly, the other's lip curling. It was almost as if Snape didn't like their dad even after only a few minutes.
"Should we go up and ask?" Hailey asked, looking at her brother and sister. They nodded and the three of them were just leaving their seats to head up to the staff table when the hall's doors opened and a severe looking woman walked in flanked by a long line of scared looking kids. They're nervous faces shifted from one side of the hall to the other and Kasei had a strong surge of sympathy towards them at that moment.
Kasei, Braiden and Hailey sat down instantly and watched as the woman led the kids up to the top of the hall and made them form a line, facing the school. "Who is she?" Hailey asked behind Kasei. Ron's voice answered.
"That professor McGonagall." He said quietly. "She's a good teacher but pretty strict. Never cross her." He laughed hollowly and Kasei felt herself smile. She would never have even dreamed of crossing this woman.
Suddenly, tiny professor Flitwick appeared in front of the staff table with a stool and a battered old wizard's hat just as the large man named Hagrid sidled in the hall and took his place at the end of the table. He winked and waved at them before turning his attention to the proceedings.
When Flitwick had again taken his place, the hall fell silent, everyone watching the hat. Kasei, curious, leaned over and whispered to Ginny, "What's going on?"
"The hat will sing soon." She said. The words were barely out of her mouth when a rip at the brim of the battered and ancient hat opened wide like a mouth and a voice began to sing.
"Ages and ages and ages past,
Before you all were born
Four wizards gathered to discuss
The school, which they would form.
There was mighty Gryffindor
Who sought only the brave,
And Slytherin who used cunning
In everything he gave
There was also good Hufflepuff
Who took the kind of heart
And finally Ravenclaw
Who took all those who are exceptionally smart
Now my job,
I regret to say
Is to take away, neigh to rob
You of a united day.
For I must split you one by one
Into you're perfect place
I'll do this until the days are gone…until this school is done
Until it's fall from grace.
Now, let the sorting begin!"
Kasei sat there, stunned. In their last school they hadn't had a talking hat. McGonagall took out a long roll of parchment while the school cheered the hat and waited until the last clap had died before she cleared her throat and spoke.
"When I call you're name, you come up to the front, place the hat on you're head, sit on the stool and be sorted into you're house." She looked over her square spectacles at the young kids before her. "Alberta Aarrastat." A small black haired girl came forward and sat shakily on the stool, the hat trembling on her head, slipping over her eyes and resting on her shoulders. Kasei, Braiden and Hailey sat forwards in their seats, straining to watch the small girl in the big hat shaking on the spindly stool.
The rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and the hat yelled out, "Hufflepuff!" The girl pulled the hat off and ran towards the table at the other end of the hall, which exploded with cheers. Kasei swallowed and her eyes moved down the line of kids to a small boy at the end who looked perfectly calm and expressionless as though this was just a line at the mall at the check out counter. His eyes, though, kept moving to the table at the far end. Kasei followed his gaze and found Draco Malfoy.
"Aletha Ablass." Became a Gryffindor, "Blaine Akwana" Became a Slytherin and "Cory Anca" Became a Ravenclaw."
As the long line of A's dwindled down to B's and then C's, Kasei began trying to ignore the grumbling and rolling with hunger. How long had it been since she'd eaten?
"Janzen Malfoy." McGonagall called. The boy who Kasei had been watching came forward and she watched him, suddenly taking in his last name. Malfoy? He must have been related to Draco. Was he his brother?
"Janzen Malfoy?" Harry said quietly, leaning towards Hermionie, Ginny and Ron. Hailey, Braiden and Kasei leaned in to so they could listen to the conversation, feeling awkward. "Malofy doesn't have a brother, does he?"
"Not that I know of. When ever dad talks about that family, he's always made it sound as though Malfoy is alone…I never thought of him as a brother. Maybe it's his cousin." Ron whispered as the McGonagall placed the sorting hat on the blond boy's head.
"No, they look too much alike." Hermione whispered. They all looked up to hear the sorting hat's discussion.
"Slytherin!" The hat shouted. The table at the far back erupted in cheers, loud yells echoed off the starry ceiling and, even over the entire din, Kasei could still hear Ron's disgusted snort.
"Who the hell is he?" Ron growled, watching the little Malfoy sit down beside Draco amid thumps on the back by large Slytherins and people ringing his hand, "I really want to know what new spawn has joined their ranks."
"He may not be all that bad." Kasei said fairly as Carmen Megnass was called to the hat, "I mean, maybe he's just in Slytherin because of his family. Look at us for example," She gestured at her brother and sister. "We're related but Braiden acts like he came from another world." Braiden's face turned red.
"Yeah, well you look like you came from another world." He retorted. Everyone around them snickered except Harry and Hailey who were watching the sorting with a lot more concentration then was necessary.
Slowly the line dwindled and the final person, "Alex Ziniskins" was made a Ravenclaw, and Dumbledore stood, his arms open wide.
"I will not bore you with a speech right now, not when you're minds are so clearly elsewhere so, please, eat up!" And the golden plates in front of them filled magically with food. Kasei, Braiden and Hailey stared, watching them with wonder. All around them students began pilling their plates and, going with the 'When in Rome' statement, they did to.
The fest was cheerful enough with talk about the summer. Occasionally, someone from another table would come over and ask Harry a question or show him a gold galleon. Hailey watched this process discreetly from behind her dark hair. It was almost like there was a secret society or something at Hogwarts…a secret between Harry and these other people.
"Hi, I'm Hanna Abbott and this is Ernie McMillan." A blond haired prefect said, introducing herself after a whispered conversation with Harry. "Welcome to Hogwarts."
"Thanks." Kasei said, extending her hand to shake theirs. She introduced them, much to the annoyance of Hailey who would have rather done it herself. This happened for a while before a woman…McGonagall appeared at Hailey's shoulder.
"Hailey, Kasei and Braiden Harwell?" She asked. They looked up and nodded, Braiden shaking. "Come with me…you to Miss Granger." Hermionie nodded and stood up as McGonagall swept them from the hall, curious students watching as they went. She led them up a marble staircase, through numerous halls and finally in front of two stone gargoyles.
"Fainting Fancies." She said. The stone gargoyles moved aside obediently with a few snide remarks. Beyond them was a spiraling stone staircase, moving steadily upwards like an escalator. They stepped on and a few moments later were on a landing with a heavy wooden door and griffin knocker. McGonagall pushed the heavy door open and entered, the four students trailing behind her.
The room was magnificent, filled with spindly-legged tables, whirring silver instruments, books, shelves and portraits of old headmasters and mistresses. There was even a baby phoenix perched behind the door, sitting in a pile of ashes.
The headmaster, Dumbledore, sat at his desk at the far end of the room, his white hair and beard catching the light of a near by candle. He smiled in welcome at them.
"I have not made the announcements to the school yet, Minerva." He said to McGonagall. "Please, would you be so kind as to do it for me?" McGonagall nodded and left, closing the door sharply behind her. "Now, I will sort you into you're houses and then, Miss Granger will take you to you're correct house prefect where you will get further instruction. Braiden, you will go first."
Braiden turned pale at being isolated by the headmaster in such a friendly fashion but nodded and followed the man to the corner of the room where there was a stool and an old hat. He sat on the stool shakily and allowed Dumbledore to place it on his head. They only had to wait a minute before the hat made its decision.
"Ravenclaw." The hat shouted. Braiden smiled and pulled the hat off his head, bounding off the stool to smirk at them.
"Told you I wouldn't be in Hufflepuff." He said. Dumbledore smiled and motioned Kasei over. She gulped and sat on the stool. Suddenly, her world was black as the hat slipped over her eyes. How many people had worn this hat before her? How many people great and small had been sorted like this?
"To many to count." The hat's voice said in her ear, making her jump. "Don't be alarmed, I sense bravery in you. To brave in fact to be scared of a hat." Kasei smiled. "Let me see…let me see…ah, yes…almost black and white with a little red. I see you're spot to clearly, almost as day does night. My dear, you have a bravery far outweighing any other so, I see you in…GRYFFENDORE!" It shouted the last for the room to hear and Braiden clapped.
"Yeah, you're not in my house!" He said. Kasei glared a him and moved aside as Hailey took her place on the stool.
"Ah, a challenge, I do like challenges." The hat whispered in her ear. "Not as jumpy as you're sister, nor as brave but still, I see bravery in you as well. I also see a darkness where you're sister is black and white you are more a gray." Hailey gulped. "It's harder to place you. You have a mind like you're brother so you'd be good in Ravenclaw…but then I see a soul like Hufflepuff. You're darkness though, it makes you an excellent candidate for the dreaded house Slytherin but…no, not dark enough, more of a front so you don't have to feel…GRYFFENDORE!" Hailey smiled, she'd be in Kasei's house. As the hat lifted off her head, she caught the headmaster's twinkling blue eyes and he smiled at her, she smiled back.
"Very good, Miss Granger, make sure you find the Ravenclaw prefects and then take Kasei and Hailey to their rooms, they'll be with you I believe." Hermionie smiled and nodded. As they made their way down again, Hailey thought of all the hat had said and suddenly wondered why she was in Gryffindor when she felt she should be somewhere else.
sSs
well, i hope that one goes over well, ashlyns Wrote this one, not me, i think it's good, i warn you there may be a lot of spelling mistakes even though i went trhough spellcheck with it (she's not the greatest speller, but a great writer)
to our reviewers:
DarkAngelPearl: i'm glad you liekd that one, maybe you'll like this one just as much, or better, we'll see. question. do you like spiders?
threesomewiththetwins: i like the name... ash is a better writer than i, but i go into more detail and spell better, so i guess it evens out when she's the one who wants to be a journalist and an author. thanks for the compliment from both of us and we hope to hear more from you
sincerely, afireinside