Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 4! Sorry about the late update. If you enjoy it, please FFR! Thank you!
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The pit of excitement in Malina's stomach only grew larger with every stone step. They passed further through the magical veil made to look like a misty cloud that surrounded the structure. As the castle grew larger and larger, she marveled at how ornate and huge it was. She thought there was no building anywhere in the world that could rival her mansion but here she was completely awed at the sheer majesty and glory of her new school. It closely resembled Hogwarts based on the stories that her father had told her and pictures that she had seen. It was made entirely out of dark gray granite with multiple towers gracing its rooftop. The castle also featured multiple stained-glass windows in some areas. It wasn't long until they rounded the side of the castle and came to the front gates where the last of the older students were disappearing into the door. It was here where the first years got the best view. There was an enormous rotunda on the right-hand side that Malina knew was used for the sorting ceremony thanks to the information packet. Another big, long room was on the opposite end of the castle which she guessed was where the Dining Hall was. Of course, the rest of castle was too much of a labyrinth to determine where all the distinct rooms were. Malina and Ruellia together looked up at the two huge marble statues of a handsome young man with a kind face, dressed in No-Maj clothes and carrying a hammer and a beautiful woman with keen, intelligent eyes wearing grand robes holding a wand. "James and Isolt Sayre-Steward," Ruellia mused with awe. "The school founders. I look up to them, you know. I want to be just as great as they were." Malina nodded and stared at the statue of Isolt before her eyes locked on to a lone Pukwudgie polishing the base of the statue. She must have stared long enough for him to notice her. He lowered his wrinkly old eyes and stared back at her, seemingly as if he was judging or studying her. A few more moments passed before Malina was finally able to break away and jogged to catch up with Ruellia. When she did, they had just passed through the massive wooden front door and stepped into the front hall. It seemed just as massive as the outside of the castle itself. They were in a big open space which was all built with dark rosewood, polished to gleam like metal. The floor was seamless black marble and looked as smooth as ice. The ceiling arched to great heights above the student's heads and grand staircases went off in every direction and beautiful balconies looked over. Paintings big and small of all sorts of characters decorated what seemed to be every inch of the walls. Malina kept staring in awe and was nearly overwhelmed at the grandeur of this marvelous building. However, she felt a sense of belonging, and of comfort. In a way it felt like home.
They stopped in front of a heavy door and their guide came to a stop in front of the doors and knocked. A man came opened it and stepped out. He had a kind face. His eyes were a warm brown and a bushy red beard covered the lower half of his face. He wore olive green wizard robes and on his fingers were many jeweled rings. He surveyed the children then spoke in a smooth, gentle voice with a smile. "Welcome first-years! I am Professor Arum Leverett and I will be your Herbology teacher. For now, though, I'm going to explain what will happen after you walk through this door. This is the dining hall. Here Headmaster Breckenridge will make his welcome speech and introduce all the other professors to you. After he does that, the Welcome Feast will occur where you all will be presented with your official school robes. After the Feast, you will come with me again to the Sorting Chamber, where you will be sorted into one of the four Ilvermorny houses. Everyone understand?" The first-years all nodded. "Very good. Now let the feast begin." He threw open the doors and revealed the dining hall.
It was quite a long room made from the same rosewood as the rest of the castle. Four long tables traversed the length of the hall, one for each house, and they were all set for the Feast. Different banners representing the four houses were hung from the ceiling, each depicting the mascot in cranberry onto a blue background. Three chandeliers accompanied by a series of string lights hung from the ceiling as well, covering the room in a warm glow. There were three large stained-glass windows, with the left one depicting Isolt and her and James' two sons and the right one depicting James with the couple's two daughters. The window in the middle depicted the large Snakewood tree Malina knew grew in the main courtyard. Outside the windows the sun was setting over the mountain. All of the other students in their school robes sat watching the youngest members make their way to the front of the room. A good chunk of space had been left open at each table for the first years to sit. Malina heard Professor Leverett tell them to sit wherever they wanted since they weren't sorted yet. Her and Ruellia sat at the second table from the left, close to the front so to better see the rest of the teachers. As soon as everyone was sat a man rose from his seat in the middle of the staff table and made his way up front to a wooden podium. He was fairly older, perhaps about seventy, and Malina thought he had a stern look to him. Some silver hair sat atop his head although his hairline was clearly receding, and unlike Professor Leverett had no beard. His robes were such a dark purple they were nearly black, and gold trim adorned the collar and sleeves. He raised his arms for quiet and spoke to the students, smiling for a moment at them as if nothing would have made him happier than to see them all there. "Welcome everyone to another great year at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For you first years, I am Headmaster Breckenridge and I am very excited to get to know all of you. Before we begin the Feast, there is an important order of business to attend to." He clapped his hands and suddenly a blue robe manifested itself onto Malina's body, as well as those of the other first years.
"These are your official school robes," Headmaster Breckenridge explained. "You'll receive more as you grow and get older, but for this year you only get the one. Treat it with great care." Malina marveled at her new robe. It was a slightly darker blue than the Procession was and it fit her like a glove. The collar and the cuffs as well as the inside lining were all a cranberry colored satin. There were two gold buttons that held the robe shut at her waist and the rest of it was all free flowing down to her ankles. It was indeed a beautiful robe. Headmaster Breckenridge drawled on with more welcome announcements and rules of the school. The longer he talked, the more Malina's stomach growled with anticipation of the Feast. Soon though, Headmaster Breckenridge reached the end of his speech. "Once again I wish you a wonderful year at Ilvermorny. Let the Feast begin!" He clapped his hands once more and suddenly all of the tables were chock full of food. Malina saw all of her favorites, and as such ladled herself a bowl of jackalope stew, roasted potatoes and wild root salad with glumblebee honey dressing. She glanced over at Ruellia, who was helping herself to some low-country boil that was conveniently placed right in front of her. She was devouring it so fast that it was clear it was one of her favorites. Almost too quickly, the Feast went away and was replaced with the dessert course, which was the traditional cranberry pie; traditional because it was James's favorite. After everyone had had their fill of food Headmaster Breckenridge stood up again and clapped his hands for attention.
"Right, then. Now that we're all fed and full, first years please follow Professor Leverett to the Sorting Chamber. As for the rest of you, you know what to do. Professor Leverett stood up and told the first years to follow him. As the feast disappeared, they all stood and followed in Professor Leverett's wake down to the other end of the castle to the rotunda where the four statues sat. When they walked into the room, the other students were already there and watching from a balcony above. Headmaster Breckenridge stood in the middle. "This is how the Sorting Ceremony works," he explained. "One by one, I will call your name alphabetically and you will come step upon this Gordian knot right here." He gestured to it. "Then you will be sorted into one of the four houses of Ilvermorny. They are Thunderbird, Horned Serpent, Pukwudgie, and Wampus. If a certain house wants you, the appropriate statue will move. However, if in the rare case more than one house wishes to have you as a student…the choice rests with you. So, choose wisely. Your house will become your family. Your triumphs will win you points that will go toward the race for the Inter-House Cup. But be warned: any rule breaking will lose you points. After everyone has been sorted, you will all go back to the entrance hall where you will receive your house pins and your wands." An excited murmur from the first years arose at this. Breckenridge put up a hand for silence. He pulled a scroll from his robes and began to read. "Abbot, Andrew." A timid looking boy made his way up to the knot and stood upon it. After a few seconds, the statue of the Pukwudgie raised it arrow in the air. A look of relief came over his face and the other Pukwudgie students clapped and cheered. "Abeita, Isa." A pretty Latina almost tripped over herself making her way to the knot. She was also sorted into Pukwudgie. A few more names were read before Breckenridge said: "Brooks, Ruellia." She and Malina exchanged a look. Ruellia took a deep breath and walked up to the knot, with fire in her eyes. She didn't even had time to stand still before the statue of the Wampus raised it claws and roared, much like its students did as she rushed over to join them. "Cass, Freesia," was wanted by both Horned Serpent and Wampus before choosing the former and "Daigre, Jennings", a rather skinny boy, became the first Thunderbird. After a dozen more names were read, Breckenridge came to "Fawley, Malina." The entire school turned to look at her. It should not have come as a surprise to Malina that everyone at the school would know who she was. How could they not? Her family was the richest and most powerful in North America. With all eyes upon her and head held high, she made her way to the middle of the room and stood upon the knot.
But nothing happened.
Nothing. Just silence and stillness.
A few seconds passed, though it felt like a few hours. They soon turned into minutes. Malina didn't know how long she had been standing there before the tears started to well up in her eyes. She was starting to think that there had been some kind of mistake. The other students started to whisper amongst themselves. Undoubtedly wondering why a pureblood witch from such a noble, powerful family had not been sorted yet. In fact, it had been about five minutes of nothingness. The statues remained dormant. Malina heard Breckenridge's footsteps, perhaps to escort her out of the Chamber and on the Procession home. Her parents would be so disappointed in her. For the first time in her life, she had let them down.
But then - something extraordinary happened.
The Thunderbird beat it wings.
The Horned Serpent's jewel lit up.
The Wampus roared.
The Pukwudgie raised its arrow in the air.
And everyone was stunned, including Malina.
She could not believe it. All four houses wanted her. She turned around to look at Breckenridge, who was equally aghast. More murmurs arose from the other students. Instead of confusion, these were ones of astonishment. Malina didn't know what to do with what had just occurred. However, Breckenridge came forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Malina," he said. "The choice still rests with you." She nodded and looked back to the statues. She had a careful decision to make now. Iskra had told her that the four houses of Ilvermorny represented a certain part of the whole witch or wizard. Malina deliberated inside herself for a few moments before coming to a decision. She looked at her school life as one great adventure; and she could feel it in her soul.
"I choose House Thunderbird," she declared. The rest of the statues went back to normal and the Thunderbird beat its wings once more. Malina rushed over to the Thunderbird students who had erupted in cheers louder than any she had ever heard before. When she rushed up the stairs to join them, they all shook her hand and welcomed her with hugs, mostly from the older students. The Sorting Ceremony went on as normal and ended with "Zabinski, Chase" being named a Horned Serpent. The short, squat woman from before stood by the doorway and used her wand to amplify her voice.
"First-years follow me to the Entrance Hall, please and thank you. Everyone else go to your dorms." Malina made her way down the stairs, Ruellia soon catching up to her, bouncing all the way.
"Wow Malina, every house wanted you! Do you know how rare that is?!" She was even more excited than Malina herself.
"Once in a decade, I heard," she replied. She was still in shock from the event that had just transpired. And to think she thought she would disappoint her parents. Such a silly thing to think.
It seemed like a much longer walk back to the entrance hall than it was to the sorting chamber. When they all arrived, there were four large trunks set up around the room. Next to each trunk there was a case with a glass lid. There was a different person behind each trunk. The short woman who guided them stopped and addressed them. "Everyone line up in front of the trunk that has your new house logo on it. Here at Ilvermorny, we don't believe in one wand being more powerful than another. So to solve this problem, everyone will get a wand for their house. For example, every Horned Serpent will get the same wand. You will also receive your house pins and meet your head of house, who will then escort you to your dorms. I bid you all goodnight and good luck at Ilvermorny". And with that, she turned on her heel and left. The professors started calling students over to their houses. Malina and Ruellia shared a hug goodbye and went their separate ways.
"I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast?" Ruellia asked.
"Of course," replied Malina. With a final wave, she walked over to the other Thunderbird first years who were all gathered around the case. Behind it stood a young woman with shiny dark red hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was very beautiful and held a gentle smile.
"Hello new Thunderbirds," she spoke in a gentle tone. "I am Professor Strix, your Head of House and your Potions master. For those of you who don't know, Thunderbird House was founded by Chadwick Boot, the eldest son of Isolt and James Sayre-Steward. Our noble house represents the soul of the wizard and attracts adventurers. Something I hope you all will become the embody of." She gestured to the trunk in front of her. "The wand of the Thunderbird is made of poplar wood and contains a single Thunderbird tail feather. It is ten inches long and you'll find that it's nice and flexible. Now I must advise you that you, and every other underage wizard, are not allowed to take your wand outside of school. Not for breaks, not for summer. So with that, everyone line up and come get your wand and your pin."
Everyone jostled for position at the front of the line. Malina ended up in the middle and bounced on her toes in impatience. Iskra had told her of what a great feeling it is to finally get your wand. A few minutes passed and soon enough she was at the front of the line. Professor Strix held a smooth, shiny, brown wand out to her with a smile. She took it and gold sparks flew from the end. Professor Strix then took a gold pin in the shape of the Thunderbird crest and pinned it to her left lapel. She placed a hand on her shoulder and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I know we can expect great things from you, Miss Gryffindor." She took away her hand and winked at Malina before gently coaxing her away. A few more minutes went by before she spoke up to ask if everyone had gotten their wands. When no one's hand went up she smiled again and told them to follow her. They followed her up the main staircase and down a hallway. After making several turns, she led them to stop at a heavy wooden door with a golden handle. Professor Strix took out her wand and tapped on the door three times in the rhythm of "Chadwick Boot" and the door swung open to reveal the Thunderbird common room.
It was a rather large, spacious area with black tile flooring and several blue decorative rugs. The walls were painted blue as well. There were several black couches and cranberry red chairs. A fireplace sat on the far-left wall, flanked by bookshelves, and a billiards table was in the middle. There were several charming lamps that hung from the ceiling and some were placed on end tables. Three large windows decorated the back wall, giving a grand view of the grounds and the now nighttime sky. On the right wall there were two doors leading to the dorms. "Boys, your dorm is through the left door," said Professor Strix. "Girls, yours is through the right. You'll find your name and that of your roommate inscribed on the door. The doors are enchanted to accept your genetic code so all you have to do is walk right through. All of your belongings have already been placed in your rooms. And no boys in the girl's dorms and vice-versa." She said this in a very authoritative manner. "Now, your classes start bright and early tomorrow so get some rest. Goodnight." And with that, they all made their way to their respective dorms.
Malina decided the best way to go would be to walk around on each floor and look for her name, then go up the staircase that was in the very middle of the tower. There were seven rooms to a floor. The first floor was no luck, neither was the next five. After climbing all the way to the sixth floor, she found her name inscribed in a pretty gold font along with another name: "Christine". Her roommate. When Malina walked through the door, Christine was already there. She was a shorter girl, about three inches shorter than Malina, and had a rather pointed nose and brown doe-like eyes, complete with brown hair to match.
"Oh, it's you!" she smiled when Malina walked in. "The girl who was wanted by all four houses! I'm so pleased! I'll be the perfect roommate! I'm Christine Henry!" Boy, did she talk fast. Malina took her outstretched hand.
"Malina Fawley," she introduced. "So where are you from?"
"Oh, I'm from Kentucky. It's strange being so far away from home. Although I'm excited to be here. What about you? I've heard of your family. You're really rich, huh?"
"I'm from upstate New York. And I guess I'm rich. Money isn't everything, though." Suddenly a bell rang out throughout the tower. "Well, that's curfew," Malina recognized. "We better get some sleep, huh?"
"Oh yes," Christine replied, still talking a mile a minute. "I'm so excited for tomorrow. I can't wait to learn Potions. And Charms. And flying. Ooh, are you gonna try out for the Quidditch team? I heard there's a Chaser and a Beater opening. I'm so glad we don't have to compete with the older students. They'd destroy us."
What Christine said was true. In the information packet, Malina learned that first through third years had their own teams and fourth through seventh years had theirs. They played different seasons and had separate tournaments. "I'll think about it," Christine just nodded, giving Malina's ears a break. They each took a few minutes to get ready for bed. Before she shut the lights off, she took some time to observe the room. It wasn't too big but wasn't small either. Each girl had a bed in parallel corners. They were four poster and had cranberry sheets and a blue comforter and curtains. The floor was a black hardwood and each girl's trunk was at the foot of the bed. A pretty, rustic chandelier hung from the ceiling and Malina had the bed by the window, and Christine had the one by the door. Malina pulled the curtain back on her bed to turn the sheets down only to see Fizzle had escaped from her bag and settled himself on her pillow. He was curled up in a ball and fast asleep on her pillow. Malina smiled and tickled his belly to wake him up. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. When he saw Malina he crawled to her and sniffed her hand affectionately. Malina put him on her shoulder and crawled into bed. Fizzle situated himself at her feet and was soon asleep. Christine was already asleep as well. Malina reached over at her beside table where she had placed her new wand, pointed it up at the chandelier and whispered "Nox", plunging the room into darkness.