Chapter 6: Sort it out

Minerva was jittery with excitement, awaiting the arrival of the first-years with her children. She paused her train of thought, puzzled. When had she started thinking of the twins as her children? She dismissed the thought, arguing that all of her students were her children.

When they lined up with the rest of the first-years, her heart swelled with pride. They cleaned up nicely. With the black robes contrasting their pale complexion and white hair, they stood out from the crowd in a very sophisticated way. No one could tell that just a couple of months ago they were homeless runaways. Elsa's long white hair was in an elegant braid that fell down her shoulder, and Jack looked dashing in his new haircut. Minerva felt a personal victory, seeing that her children looked no worse than the children of prestigious pure-blood families.

Her children. She was proud to call them that.

She led the first-years to the Great Hall, where the rest of the students sat at their House tables. She placed the stool in the front and began the Sorting Ceremony.

Awaiting her turn, Elsa played with the end of her braid, focused on the Sorting Hat while Jack looked around the Great Hall curiously, oblivious to the shy smiles nearby girls were giving him. He was going to be trouble.

Minerva called Elsa first, and the girl gracefully sat on the stool. Minerva put the ancient, pointed hat on her head, and waited. It didn't take long for the Hat to shout out 'Ravenclaw.' Her new House cheered, calling her to their table, where they made a spot for her.

'That is very fitting,' Minerva thought, smiling at the girl. 'She will do well there.'

She called Jack, and he hopped onto the stool and nodded at her in acknowledgment. He sat there for a long time, the Hat apparently having a hard time deciding, and then he did something that she had never seen anyone do. Before the hat could say the House name, he took it off, got up, and glared at her.

"I don't agree with this hat."

"What are you doing, Jack?"

"I've chosen Gryffindor," Sorting Hat addressed them both.

"The hat is wrong," Jack said firmly.

"Jack," Minerva said, taken aback, "if that's what the Hat chose…"

"I belong wherever Elsa is," he interrupted in a hushed voice. "I go wherever my sister goes. Nowhere else."

"Jack," she huffed, frustrated at the stubborn boy, "it's not uncommon for siblings to be in different Houses, even twins."

"I don't care what's common," he said. "You will not separate us."

Albus walked up to them, pointing at the curious students and faculty who were watching the scene. "Whatever the issue may be, perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere."

Albus took Jack to a room adjacent to the Great Hall while Minerva called the rest of the children to finish the sorting, shooting nervous looks after her white-haired troublemaker.

After all the children were sorted, Minerva brought the Hat with her and found Jack glaring at Dumbledore, not at all intimidated by the white beard. The Headmaster gave her a gentle but perplexed smile, and Minerva eyed Jack grudgingly. Why was he causing so much trouble over sorting?

"I tried to clarify to him how the house system works but…" Dumbledore started explaining.

Jack interrupted him, "Professor, I cannot be separated from my sister."

"Jack, I regret not having this discussion with you earlier, I didn't realize it was going to be such a problem, but you cannot just pick what house you go to. The Sorting Hat makes this decision."

The Hat, which was still in Minerva's hands, spoke up, "I've considered Slytherin. He's cunning, resourceful, and desires power, but his dedication to stand up for what he believes in is stronger than all of those traits. Therefore, Gryffindor. I do not see much of Ravenclaw in you, dear youngling."

"I don't care about the reasons," Jack said, exasperated, running a hand through his white hair and eyeing the Hat spitefully. "I promised her I would always be there for her, that I would always protect her. How can I be there if I'm somewhere else?"

"Jack," Dumbledore cut in, "you're still in the same school. You can see her every day."

Minerva gave the Hat to Dumbledore, walked up to the boy, and took his hands in hers. "You would not be happy in Ravenclaw. They are hard-working and value knowledge and wisdom above all. I can see Elsa fitting in there very well, not you."

"So, I'm not smart enough," Jack said, his blue eyes piercing hers, the sudden intensity surprisingly intimidating.

"It is not about intellect." She rubbed his clammy hands in hers. Why were their hands always so cold? "Have you considered that it might be a good thing? The two of you have only had each other for years, am I right?"

"Yes, and…" Jack started, but Minerva didn't let him finish.

"Don't you think it's time to let go of her hand and allow you both some freedom?"

"You don't understand," Jack said, desperation in his voice. "We're…"

"I noticed, whenever you speak of yourself, you say 'we'. It's time to let go of 'we' and find out who you are individually. Otherwise, you will hold each other back."

Jack shook his head, but she could tell that her words were taking effect and breaking down his resistance.

"You will do well in Gryffindor," Minerva added. "That's also my house."

He looked from her to the Headmaster, but there was no more fight left in him.

"It will be okay, Jack. Now, sit at the Gryffindor table and do me proud."

He said nothing but walked out of the room obediently. Minerva stood in the doorway and watched how he exchanged a look with Elsa, who gasped in shock when he sat down with the Gryffindors and not next to her.

"He's going to be a handful," Dumbledore chuckled before going back to his seat at the staff table.

"As if that was ever in jeopardy," Minerva said in resignation.

》《

Jack sat down at the first empty spot at the Gryffindor table. The kids around him eyed him suspiciously, probably wondering what the scene was about. All other first-years received applause when they joined their houses. He sucked at blending in.

"You wanted to go to Ravenclaw with your sister, right?" a girl with frizzy brown hair asked him.

"My twin," he answered, thankful that someone broke the uncomfortable silence. "I wasn't expecting that they were going to separate us."

"It happens sometimes," she said with a shrug. "Patil twins are in the same situation and they're identical. I'm Hermione Granger," she added proudly.

"Hi," he nodded at her. "I'm Jack."

Few other people at the table exchanged names, but he couldn't focus on the conversation and forgot them immediately. He turned around to see where his sister sat, and she was staring at him with tears in her eyes. His heart broke. He tried to communicate with his eyes that it was going to be okay. She wiped her tears and gave him a forced smile. He looked back at his empty plate and did not feel hungry. He just wanted for the meal to be over so he could hug her already.

"Did I hear 'twin'?" a tall red-haired boy asked.

Another boy that looked just like him stood up to stare at Jack and said, "Twins are taking over Hogwarts."

Then both of them said together, "Sweet!"

Jack's mood lifted at seeing another pair of identical twins, but then just as quickly it soured. Why were they allowed to be in the same house when he was separated from his other half?

"George," one of them said with a wave.

"Fred," said the other one.

Jack nodded in acknowledgment but was really not in the mood to socialize.

"Try the pudding," Hermione said. "It's really good."

He forced himself to smile, appreciating her friendly gesture, but then he saw a ghost behind her and blanched. He did not like ghosts. Their connection to Death was disturbing to nature spirits like him. They felt wrong and, well, dead.

"Oh, that's Nearly Headless Nick," Hermione said.

"I prefer Sir Nick." The ghost eyed Jack curiously. "Interesting," he said, linking his transparent hands together.

Jack tried to keep his calm although his instincts screamed at him to run away.

"It's nice to meet you, Sir Nick," Jack said, attempting to sound casual.

"What's a spirit like you doing here?" the ghost asked.

Jack's heart stopped. He said it. Just like that, the secret was out.

Nick laughed. "Carry on, children."

As the ghost floated away, Jack dared to check everyone's reactions.

"Don't mind him. All ghosts are a bit strange," said one of the twins he'd met on the train. Was it Parvati?

It seemed that no one made the connection that Nick was talking about him, and he thanked the Moon for their blissful ignorance. Jack released the breath he was holding and smiled, trying to cover up his panic while his heart was banging so hard, he was surprised no one else heard it.

His secret was safe for now.

》《

After the feast, the Prefects led the first-years towards the Gryffindor common room. Merlin followed with unease. The whole point of him attending this school was to protect Harry Potter, but Harry was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't on the train. Merlin checked every single compartment. He wasn't at the feast. Merlin scanned every face at the Gryffindor table. Would trouble find Harry before he even made it to school?

He thought to ask Dumbledore if he knew anything about Harry's late arrival but was afraid that he would draw too much attention if he did it in front of everyone, so he stuck to the plan of blending in and pretending to be an eleven-year-old boy.

He looked around at the other first-years, and a white head easily caught his eye. While he had no luck with Harry, he achieved his other goal by finding the magical twins that visited Olivanders' shop.

When he first saw the boy and his sister, he was stunned. He had never met anyone who so obviously looked magical. Not only, their snow-white hair was something unheard of even among wizards, but they radiated magic. He supposed others might try to explain it as a natural charm, but he knew what drew everyone to the twins like nails to a magnet. Their power was innate and instinctive like his own, but they hadn't learned how to conceal it yet, unknowingly affecting everyone around them.

Merlin had thought that he was the last living practitioner of Old Religion, but he would love to be proven wrong. Getting to know the boy should be easy since they were going to share a dorm. In fact, it was going to be easier than keeping an eye on Harry.

They walked through the painting of the Fat Lady, which took them to the cozy Gryffindor common room. Merlin found himself looking forward to spending time by the fireplace, chatting away with friends on the comfy couches.

His train of thought halted abruptly. Where did those thoughts come from? He wasn't here to make friends. Well, maybe with Harry if he could find him. Ugh. Being a child was messing with his mind.

In his dormitory, Merlin's trunk was already waiting in front of his bed. Jack's bed was on his left, and a small mousy-haired boy's was on his right. Before they could even exchange names, the small boy asked a Prefect to take a picture of the three of them. Merlin was pretty sure his eyes were closed.

"I'm Colin Creevey," the boy said and tested the bed by jumping on it to the rhythm of his speech. "Can you believe it? We're actually here—in a magic school and it's a castle. A magic castle! Did you see the ceiling in the Great Hall? It was bewitched to look like the sky! Even the supper was magical and food just appeared by magic. It's like a dream but I couldn't possibly dream up all of this. There's so much amazing magic here and I can't wait to learn it all in magic classes and I didn't even know magic was real until I got that letter that said I'm a wizard. An owl delivered it. Can you believe it? Well, you're here too so you must have gotten your letters. The whole castle is full of wizards and witches, and I saw ghosts today, and the people in the portraits are moving. I saw so much magic today!"

"Oh, you're Muggle-born?" Merlin asked, hoping a change of direction would stop the rambling.

"Yeah, and you?"

"My father was a wizard, my mom was a Muggle," Merlin answered truthfully.

They both looked at Jack, who was in the process of taking off his shoes.

"Uh…" he scratched the back of his neck. "No, no Muggles in my family."

He proceeded to dig inside his trunk, without actually pulling anything out. Pure-blooded wizards were usually proud of their status, so why did he act like he had something to hide?

"Did you visit Diagon Alley?" Jack asked. "It's cool, isn't it?"

Colin went back to jumping on his bed and recounted every single wonder he had discovered during his visit to the hidden magical community. Merlin used the distraction to sneak out to the common room. Groups of students gathered in chat circles, exchanging summer stories and plans for the school year. Merlin travelled between them, listening for any mention of Harry. He didn't have to wait long.

"I'm telling you. It's the truth," said one of the older students. "Harry Potter and Ron Weasley flew in a car instead of taking the Hogwarts Express!"

"I bet they're getting expelled right now," an older girl said.

"Or getting a medal for taking out that mean tree," joked one of the Weasley twins.

"Whomping Willow had it coming," his twin agreed, and the two high-fived each other with identical grins.

The longer the talks went on, the more outrageous the theories about Harry's adventure were becoming. Finally, the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked in and were immediately greeted with applause and congratulations. Merlin wanted to get closer, but it was difficult to fight the crowd. By the time he got through, Harry disappeared to his dorm, the door slamming shut behind him.

Merlin stood in front of the staircase leading up to Harry's dorm, considering if this was the right time for an introduction. The closed door was sending a very clear message though. He groaned and went to bed instead. The timing never seemed to be right, but at least Harry made it safely to school.

The mission was still on.

》《

Ginny ran up to her dorm as soon as she saw Harry enter the common room. She was still all jittery with excitement from arriving at Hogwarts. She didn't want to add Harry to the mix of her nerves. She rummaged in her trunk to get her sleeping gown out, and her eye caught a leather book cover.

She had found the blank journal among the books her mum bought her in Diagon Alley. At first, she was thankful for the surprise gift, but then found a name faintly inscribed on the worn cover, T. M. Riddle. It's one thing to get secondhand robes and textbooks but a diary? That was a new low for her pride. But even though it was used, she wanted it.

She had never had a diary before. What would she write in it? Well, she certainly had a lot of thoughts battling each other in her head. Maybe writing them down would help her figure it all out, so she could get back to being herself and enjoy the year she had been looking forward to so much.

She clutched the book close to her chest. Yes. She would have a lot of fun with this diary.