~Everything's Not What It Seems~
Alex and Justin are siblings sent to Hogwarts to learn about magic just like their father. There they meet new friends, fall in love, and find out that truly everything is not what it seems.
Disclaimer: J.K Rowling and Disney Channel own the right to all these character. I am only borrowing them :)
Alex had her eyes closed, and her earbuds on, bobbing her head to the music playing on her iPhone when she suddenly fell forward. Lucky for her, Justin was just in front of her and was quick to grab onto his sister's shoulders before she fell face first on the floor. She gave Justin a thankful look as she stood up and pulled the headphones out of her ears.
"Did we stop again?"
Justin smiled and nodded. "We're here."
Alex eyes widened, as she stared back at her brother in excitement. "What are we waiting for, let's go!" She grabbed onto Justin and Max's arms and pulled them towards the door. Alex and Justin both stopped when they felt a tug and turned to see their youngest brother had not moved. Alex released her hold on both her brothers and turned to Max in confusion.
"What about our stuff?" Max asked as he pointed to the luggage they had sitting over their heads.
"Oh yeah, it will be taken care of." Justin replied as he began to herd Alex out the door. He placed a hand on Max's shoulders and directed him out of the compartments behind Alex. The three Russos filed into the hallway, joining the herd of students who were also making their way off the train.
Alex was the first to reach the exit. She didn't pay much attention as she stepped out and walked straight into a bush of hair. She sputtered as she stepped back, her brothers looking on in fear as they realized Alex had just bumped into a giant. It took a moment for Alex to realize it was a giant in front of her, and not just a floating beard. She'd seen some odd things at Wiztech, a floating beard didn't seem out of the ordinary to her.
"Mr. Beard, move out of the way!" Alex exclaimed, pulling on the beard.
"Oww, stop with that will yer!" The giant looked down at Alex with a frown. Alex stepped back and stared at the bearded giant. "Hey, which one of yer three did that?" Alex looked to her brothers to see them both pointing at her. Wimps!
"I did Mr. Beard, I'm sorry… At first I thought you were a giant floating beard." Alex shrugged, giving the bearded man a slightly guilty look. The giant studied her for a moment before smiling and stepping aside to let the three Russos go by.
"By the way, the name ain't Mr. Beard, its Rubeus Hagrid. But yer can just call me Hagrid. I don't recognize yer three and yer can't be first years. Are yer three by any chance the Russo's?"
"Yeap, that's would be us. I'm Alex, this is Justin, and this Max." Alex pointed to herself and her brothers as she introduced them.
"Welcome to Hogwarts then! We should get yer three in the boats with the others. Yer needs to be sorted with the first years. Come, come, no time to be wastin!" Hagrid starts to walk off, herding a bunch of kids that looked to be Max's age as he did.
Alex, Justin and Max followed him until they reached a lake, where a bunch of the kids were getting into boats. Alex looked around and frowned when she noticed there were no kids their age. How does their dad expect them not to stick out if they were the only older kids getting sorted?
~~~~~
After getting themselves situated on a boat and across the river, Justin, Alex and Max found themselves standing at the front of the crowd of first years, waiting for someone named Professor McGonagall. They had traveled in the same boat as Hagrid who had explained to them that that doorway would lead them to the great hall. He had told them that once they went through those doors, they would be sorted into their house by the sorting hat.
Alex was both excited and nervous! She knew about the sorting hat, and had dreamed about being sorted since she was little. Her heart was set on being placed into the same house as her father. She knew Justin wanted the same. Alex hoped more than anything that she and Justin both be placed into the same house as their father.
Justin looked to his sister, just as nervous as she for the sorting. He switched from watching the door to adjusting his robes, thinking about how in the next few moments they would go through those doors and get sorted. It was a dream come true.
"Welcome student to Hogwarts!" Justin and Alex looked back to the entrance to see an older woman in a black pointy hat and black robes standing before them. She looked on at the student with a serious expressions. "When you enter through these doors, you will join the rest of your classmates in the great hall. You will be seated after being sorted into a house. The houses are Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. When you are sorted you become part of your house, together you unite as one and will almost be like a family. We award points to those who achieve and take points from those who break rules, at the end of the year the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup. The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily."
Professor McGonagall nodded and then turned around to head up the stairs, Alex looked at Justin who shrugged before following the woman up the stairs. Alex followed after him and was relieved when she heard the other first years follow them. When they reached the doors, Professor McGonagall pushed them open and walked off towards the front of the room. Alex and Justin followed her inside, noticing all the eyes on them as they led the flock of first years into the room.
The attention on them was overshadowed by Alex and Justin joy's of being in the great hall. Another monumental location the two had heard about so many times growing up. They were actually there, in the flesh. Alex studied the giant room, the tables, the ceiling, the beautiful decor in the walls. She was in awe. Alex looked to her brother and saw him taking in the scene with just as much fascination. They were actually standing in the great hall!
As they passed the rows of students seated at the tables, many of them were waving and cheering. Alex smiled at she spotted the twins she'd met at the train station. They waved at her happily.
Her eyes scanned over the students around them until she found herself staring at a black-haired boy with glasses and green eyes. They both stared at each other for a moment as Alex found herself stopping in the middle of the isle to look at this boy. She couldn't explain why, but he felt familiar. Her momentary haze was enough for a distracted first year to crash into her from behind. Alex felt herself lose her balance and prepared herself for a pretty embarrassing fall forward. She was relieved when moments later she felt two strong arms grab onto her and help her back up before she was anywhere near the ground. She looked to her savior to find a cute brown-haired boy staring at her with a soft crooked smiled. He held her in his arms for a few seconds, staring back at her. She finally smiled back at him in thanks, wanting to express her appreciation when her brother appeared beside her, quickly pulling her arm and herding her towards the front of the first years. Alex only turned back to see her cute savior return to his seat.
Alex felt dumb for not even saying thank you to the guy who saveD her from that embarrassing fall. She just stared at him. She mentally kicked herself in the head, also praying not too many people saw her so-close face plant. She forced herself to relax as she and Justin stopped in front of the Professor McGongall.
"We will now begin the sorting, since this year we have two new students who are not first years, we will start with them." She didn't waste any time, looking down at a scroll in her hand then she looked directly at Alex and Justin as she read the first name. "Russo, Justin!"
Justin glanced at Alex before walking over to the chair next to Professor McGonagall. Justin closed his eyes as he nervously waited for the sorting hat to be placed on his head. Alex watched on, nervous for her brother. She watched as the hat came to life and a thoughtful expression appeared on it.
"Hmmm, your father went here before you… but you know that. Hmmm." Alex looked behind her and was relieved to see that Max was farther away from them with some other kids. He was too far away to hear anything. "You are very smart, would fit in very well in Ravenclaw… but you're also brave. You would also do well in Slytherin, but you lack a devious side. Well then, better be… GRYFFINDOR!"
The hall bursts into applause, but one table in particular started to cheer. Justin smiled as he looked over to that table and made his way towards them. Alex smiled, as she watched her brother join the table that she had seen Fred and George sitting at. Alex's nerves skyrocketed as the fear of not being placed in the same house as her brother came to her. What if she wasn't placed in Gryffindor? Alex looked to her brother who was looking at her with an encouraging smile.
"Russo, Alexandra!" Alex looked at Professor McGonagall to find her eyes focused on her now. She walked nervously over to the chair and sat down. Alex closed her eyes as she felt the hat sit on her head. Please, please, please!
"Well, well, well, I finally meet the sister. Hmm, you are a lot like your father. An exact copy you could say, if you weren't a girl. You're not patient enough to be Hufflepuff and not wise enough to be in Ravenclaw. But you would fit in well in both Gryffindor and Slytherin… tough."
Alex panicked as she thought of the possibility of being placed in Slytherin. No, I can't be in Slytherin! "Not Slytherin, eh? Well then, you really do take from your father. Then it better be… GRYFFINDOR!"
Alex opened her eyes, relief filling her as she looked towards the cheering table with her brother. She was now a Gryffindor, just like their dad! Alex hopped up off the chair and quickly made her way to the table, high-fiving Gryffindors as she made her way towards her brother. She found a seat between her brother and George. As the cheers died down, Alex relaxed and looked to her brother with a smile.
The next hour was spent sorting the other first years. Alex watched as each table cheered when a new addition was made to their table. She cheered along with her fellow Gryffindors when they were joined by a newcomer. As they began to approach the end of the list, she looked at Justin, who was just as impatiently waiting for their brother's sorting.
"Russo, Max."
Max made his way to the front, smiling as he took a seat in the chair.
"Hmmm, a Russo… haven't seen a Russo in a very long time." Justin and Alex shared a concerned glance as a look of confusion filled their brother's face.
"What do you mean? You just sorted my brother and sister?"
"Well… forget that. Let's see, you're not sharp enough to fit into Ravenclaw. You're not cunning enough to be in Slytherin. I think it better be… HUFFLEPUFF!" Alex looked over the the Hufflepuff table, who cheered as Max made his way towards their table. He looked at his brother and sister, giving them a thumbs up as he found a seat at his table.
As the rest of the students were sorted, Alex looked to Justin with concern. Was Justin as worried about what the hat said before as Alex was? What if Max started to ask question about what the hat was saying? If he did, then would they have to tell him the truth? Will he find out about all the lies? Will he hate them for lying to him all this time? Max was only eleven and he didn't need to worry about these things!
She felt her brother squeeze her hand under the table. "Don't worry Alex, it's Max. He'll forget about it by tomorrow morning." Justin whispered. Alex nodded but zoned out as she began to imagine all the ways Max could react if he knew the truth.
"Alex." Alex looked next to her to find Justin watching her with concern. "Are you okay? You were spacing out all through Professor Dumbledore's speech."
Alex nod. "Yeah, I'm just thinking about Max. I don't want him to get hurt."
"You also agree it's a good thing that he got sorted into Hufflepuff?" Justin looked at Alex seriously.
Alex nodded again. "We are here for our own reasons; we want to see it all, where it all started! Max doesn't need to be involved or need to know anything about it!"
"You're right Alex, it doesn't matter now. Let's just not worry about Max for now." Justin smiled.
Alex smiled At her brother in agreement. "Can you believe we are at Hogwarts and that we are Gryffindor's. Just like dad!"
Justin nodded happily. "Yeah, just like dad. I couldn't be more excited. Anyway, let's eat!"
Alex looked at the table to find piles of food had appeared. When she looked at the other tables she noticed that a feast had appeared on each table. Alex looked at the table in relief, spotting food she was familiar with eating at home. She grabbed a slice of pizza and piled some chicken wings on her plate. As she picked up the slice of pizza and took the first bite, she groaned in pleasure. She looked at her brother, holding her pizza to him, "I think I could get used to this."
Updated!
