Disclaimer:I don't own any harry potter or original characters. I did change a few ages of harry potter character but it made more sense for the story this way.
Sorting and Welcome Feast
The boats arrived on the shore of the lake near the castle. The first years all got out when their respective boats reached the docks. Hope's boat was near the front with Hagrid. She got out and lifted Jackson after, then she stepped off to the side knowing this was going to be a bigger moment in the first years life then it is for her. Once everyone was on land Hagrid led them into the castle and told them that the Deputy Headmistress will be welcoming them once they get inside. The group proceeds to the great hall and stops at the massive double door. Hagrid bids them ado and heads off to what Hope assumes to be a side entrance for school staff, Theo had mentioned the big men was the care of magical creatures professor when she first saw him. A few minutes of the first years chatting to each other nervously about sorting and few eyeing her and Jackson with varying expressions of confusion, contempt, and some looking like admiration. Then the big doors opened slightly and an older looking witch walked out and gave a short speech about the events that were to follow without giving away any actual information. Then she turns and opens both doors with a swing of her arms/wand. The group slowly follow her in, Hope staying to the back knowing she will be last thanks to the letter from Snape the previous day.
They arrive at the front of the massive room and stop just before a set of stairs that lead to what looks to be the professors table. Hope looks around the room while Prof. McGonagall talks about some things. She is vaguely aware of someone singing when she spots Daphne and Theo sitting at a table to the far left. Theo sees her and nods his head then gestures for her to focus. Hope reluctantly refocuses on the sorting and realizes it has already started and someone's name was just called. She watches a kid walk to a stool and a hat is placed on his head. After a few moments the hat yells out Hufflepuff and the kid walks over to a table, on his way the colors of his robes change slightly to add some yellow accents. This continued for a couple of minutes with kids going to every house. After the last first year was called up Hope was left standing by herself with Jackson waiting patiently by her side. A couple realized that the sorting had paused briefly and weren't really sure what was going on. A couple students even look over at Hope to see if they figure out what's going on. But all they saw from Hope was a practiced look of indifference and the sneering glare of the crup when those close to it tried to pet him. Dumbledore took this beat of silence to stand up and address the student body as a whole.
"Attention everyone. As you can tell there is a small break in the sorting this year. We do have one more student to be sorted. She is not a first year the rest so have waited until the end of the sorting for this particular student. We have a transfer student this year. I'm sure some of you are very confused by this as we haven't had a transfer in many years, but I can assure that she is more than ready to join her year and is excited to start her Hogwarts experience as many of you were in your first year here. Hope is from the states and has attended a school like ours since her childhood and has been prepped for the year by myself and a few professors as well as her family. So without further adieu, Hope if you will join us."
Hope walked up to the stool with Jackson quickly following her steps. She takes a seat with Jackson taking guard on the floor right in front of her and Dumbledore places the hat onto her head.
Ahhhhh. What an interesting mind you have.
Who are you?
I am just a hat created to serve the students of this school. Who you are though is a much more interesting question. I see here you have recently lost quite a lot that is dear to you.
How do you know that? Are you reading my mind?
Not in the sense that you think. I was created by one of the founders of this school to aid in the placement of students. Thus placing with like minded students to help further education and experience.
Doesn't that go against all teaching practices. We learn more from those who are different from us then those we have similarities with. How are we supposed to learn if no one in our lives who express a different viewpoint? Then nothing would progress and the world would become stagnant and boring.
Quite right my dear but sadly that is all out of my realm of power I am simply here to serve my purpose. And no, I can not try to circumvent the process by assigning/sending people to the wrong house on purpose. That goes against my creation and therefore beyond my power. But more about you. I see your little plan to bring your father didn't have the best results but it was beautifully crafted. You are loyal but that seems to be more of a family trait. Forever and Always I see. Not highly motivated to learn but always willing to try. Brave but not quite the jump into a burning fire bold headedness that comes with Gryffindor. I think that leaves only one option really. I hope you enjoy your time here and please do think more about the separation versus communication argument you were talking about earlier. It's an idea more than a few people in this school could learn.
With that the hat yells out Slytherin and Hope thinks a final goodbye and thank you before the hat is taken off her head. She rises from the stool and turns in the direction of the Slytherin table. Dumbledore tells her to sit with her year before she walks away. When she arrives at the table she slides in across Daphne and next to Theo who is currently talking to the boy across from him about something, Jackson fits a comfortable position under the table right on Hopes feet. Theo and Daphne smile at her before Dumbledore starts to talk again. They are all expecting his traditional welcome and a few words but he starts talking about magical competition and widening the schools doors to new people. Everyone is confused until he mentions the Triwizard tournament and how it will be held this year for the first time in over 100 years. He explains that as per tradition the school of the last champion will be the host and they will be having students from two other schools. Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute would be the two schools attending and they will be arriving in three weeks. The Durmstrang delegation will be living in an expansion of the Slytherin common room and the students from Beauxbatons will be staying in a dorm made accessible through the Hufflepuff common room. Both schools are to be welcomed with open minds and warm attitudes. With the final announcement made for the night the students are waiting for the food to arrive and chatting lightly.
Hope finds herself only half listening to Theo and Daphne. Due to her upbringing and partly her newly acquired wolf skills she finds hers eyes roaming the massive room for any threats or even odd behavior. On her overview of the staff table she lands on a many with a fake eye that doesn't seem to stop moving and judging by the way he is sitting a fake keg. As she watches she gets an increased vibe of something. Not quite dangerous (at least to her) but something akin to creepy or even disturbing. As if he can sense her eyes or even her judgement he turns directly to her and they have a stare down for a minute before his attention is pulled by another professor Hope keeps her eyes on them for a while. After a quick conversation the man gets up and leaves. No else notices his rather obvious escape; she shifts her focus to not draw anymore attention. She is though unaware that a certain redhead from the train has been trying to keep an eye on her since she walked into the great hall. As Hope's eyes slide down the Gryffindor table they meet the redhead in question and a small smile spreads across his face. Unsure who to respond Hope waves as discreetly as she can hoping no one else notices. She's not that lucky though, because at that exact moment Daphne is trying to get her attention to tell her that the food is up. Hope is into her little wave and smile interaction, she doesn't notice the Slytherin by her side until Theo shakes her shoulder and shoots food into her ear. Jumping ever so slightly in her seat she refocuses on her "friends" and starts to collect food on to her plate. But as she is doing so she keeps looking up to check if the kid is still looking back at her. But because he is doing something they never meet eyes. Daphne and Theo nice her shift in attitude and try to follow her line of sight but because from their perspective it leads to George Weasley they assume it must be someone else. Thinking wrongly that no snake would ever be interested in a lion especially a Weasley.
As the feast continues on, Hope gets to know a few more of her house mates, though she can sense an overall feeling of uneasiness when the conversation turns to some of the younger students. Not currently interested in the why she lets it be. If it becomes a problem later she will decide then. As a whole they avoid any seriously awkward topics, though it comes dangerously close when one of the older students asked her who her parents were, not recognizing the last name Marshall. She skirts the issue saying they were a small magical family in the states. Hoping that would end the question but another student, some snotty looking platinum blonde kid from the year under her, asks her how she got into Hogwarts as a transfer if her parents were lame American witches. Everyone seemed to quiet when this kid spoke and assumed he belonged to issue of free conversation earlier. Thinking of the best way to answer she goes with the truth. Telling him her father met Headmaster Dumbledore years ago in his travels and asked for hope to place here to finish her education. That seemed to be an acceptable answer to snotty blonde. As everyone starts their previous conversions again the Headmaster announces the end of the feast and instructs everyone on return to the dorms.
Theo lightly pulls her after him to meet up with Daphne at the end of the table with the little crup hot on their trails. Once the trio is back together they lag beyond the other students down to the dungeons near the end of the Slytherin pack. A prefect is near the front leading the firsties and Daphne is giving Hope an abridged version of the speech they are getting. As they approach the entrance to the common room Theo tells her that the password changes every two weeks and the new password will be posted on the bulletin in the common room 24 hours before the change, so to keep an eye out. The change isn't on an exact schedule and it could in the middle of the day. Keeping this in mind she picks up Jackson and follows behind Daphne through the door.
Hope's not exactly sure what she was expecting but what she sees definitely isn't it. They are basically in the basement under the basement of this castle yet there are windows they allow some version of light into the big room. The furniture is metal with green, silver and black cushions. A few long tables are lined against the back wall and the fireplace is lit giving an odd sense of calm to the room. With hopes hearing she can hear a few sighs escape some of the older students as they walk further into the room. Not sighs of contempt more like sighs of release and many of the students physically relax as they re-adjust to the big room, Theo being one of them. This group seems to be getting more and more intriguing every minute.