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Of Earth and Stars
Chapter 4: Sorted
September 1988
The sun had set, and the Express had started to slow when someone nudging her shoulder awakened Suri.
"Hey, we're almost there," Oliver's Scottish brogue cut through her sleepy thoughts.
"Hogwarts," Suri asked, and uncurled from her spot against the window. She had been lulled asleep by the boys' talk about Gryffindor's quidditch team after they had all taken turns playing Quidditch Field against each other.
"You'll need to get your robes on before we get off the train. Just leave the rest of your stuff here, and they'll find their way into your house."
"Okay." Suri ran her hands through her black hair though she knew her long waves looked best stylishly tousled. A trait from Sirius Black, Granna had always said. With Oliver's help she lowered her trunk, extracted her robes, and put her trunk back into the overhead bin record time.
The Express continued to slow before it lurched to a stop. The blond boy pushed open the compartment door, and she could hear the same happening at other compartments along with excited chatter from the students. Their excitement was infectious; and she found herself growing fidgety with excitement and nerves.
Her breath came out in cloudy puffs once outside with the other students dressed in their black school robes. She could tell the first years apart from the older students-they looked as shocked, excited, nervous, and as lost as she felt.
"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" A loud booming voice holding a lantern called from somewhere to her left.
She turned to Oliver. "That's me. Thanks for sitting with me on the train."
"Don't mention it," Oliver looked down at his feet at her gratitude. When he looked up at her, he smiled before he turned to join his friends. "Good luck in there. Maybe we'll see you Gryffindor!"
"Firs' years over here!"
Suri had no time to say goodbye to her new friend before she hurried after the voice that called for the new students. When she got closer, she had to crane her neck almost all the way to look into the face of the large man who held the lantern.
"Woah," she said aloud before she could stop herself.
"Woah yerself, girl," the man said jovially. "The name's Reubeus Hagrid, Keeper o' the Keys, an' it's time to board the boats."
"I'm Suri," she quickly introduced before she hurried over to one of the boats waiting at the dock.
"Suri, ye say?" Hagrid's voice was thoughtful. "Only one Suri I heard o' an' her parents—say, what's yer las' name?"
"Rosier-Black."
"Rosier-Black!" A storm of emotions flicked across the giant's face, and Suri felt a sense of unease. Immediately, like a force of habit, Suri picked into the man's mind.
Sirius Black's kid? It can't be! S'pose it's about time fer her to be gettin' here. Thought she moved away with her mum's mum, I did…
Hagrid cleared his throat, startling Suri from seeing his thoughts. "Well," he said and nodded to the boats. His voice was oddly guarded, "In ye get."
Suri frowned at the interaction, but nonetheless did as instructed. She stepped off the dock into the closest boat. Looking around, she saw the faces of the kids around her. One of them was a porcelain-skinned girl with fine, blonde hair, watery blue eyes and a bored expression. Another was a boy with a kind face and light brown hair. There was also another boy with brown skin, dark hair and dark eyes. Soon after she settled onto the boat's bench, the boat lurched forward slightly and began to glide through the night.
"Wow," the kind-faced boy said, looking into the water.
"Enchanted boats," the other boy said, and the boat rocked slightly as he excitedly looked over the side.
"Ugh, don't rock the boat!" The blonde girl chastised. She rolled her eyes and looked at Suri. "Boys…"
"This is pretty cool," Suri answered, shrugging her shoulders. The boat continued forward and soon, gasps and exclamations from the students in surrounding boats echoed over the lake.
Suri felt her breath catch in her chest, and she found herself speechless. The darkness gave way to the illuminated outline of a large castle on a hill.
Hogwarts.
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"Nathaniel Avery!"
A boy with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and an arrogant turn to his lips walked forward, starting the Sorting Hat Ceremony. Suri had managed to stand near the front of the group of first years so she was able to see Nathaniel sit on the stool and watch as Professor McGonagall, who introduced herself outside the Great Hall, plop the Sorting Hat on his head. Three heartbeats later…
"Slytherin!"
Cheers erupted from a table with green and silver banners as Nathaniel smiled and joined his new house.
The ceremony continued alphabetically, and Suri held her breath as McGonagall continued down the list alphabetically. She only exhaled when the list continued through the B's, and she wasn't called on.
"Fletcher Diamond!"
Suri looked at the kind-faced boy standing next to he, the same boy who shared her boat. He sat, somewhat nervously, on the stool and McGonagall put the hat on him. Almost immediately, the Sorting Hat declared "Hufflepuff!"
"Ranjit Patel!" The other boy in her boat was sorted into Ravenclaw, and the list continued.
"Suri Rosier-Black!"
Suri jumped slightly when her name was called. When she took a seat on the stool beside McGonagall, she noticed the hush that fell over the Great Hall, specifically among the professors. Professor McGonagall placed the hat upon Suri's head, and the hat covered the tops of her ears.
"I remember your family names, this Sorting Hat has never forgotten!" A proud voice sounded in Suri's head. She waited quietly as the Hat continued. "Oh yes, I see kindness here, and a clever mind sure, but what is most interesting is your daring, a very brave and noble heart, I see…"
"Like my father," Suri answered in her mind.
"Indeed, very much so," the Hat seemed to chuckle. "But there is something about you, Suri Rosier-Black, something quiet and just as strong. I see greatness in your head and something more deeply hidden—don't try occlumency on me, girl, I can see through it all! That small act of hiding has shown me who you are, which shouldn't be a bad thing, given your other strengths, you will do well in…"
"Slytherin!"
McGonagall removed the hat and Suri took her place among the cheering Slytherin's. Something in her made her turn her attention to the professors' table. A number of the staff members watched her intently, curiously, before one by one they focused on the Sorting Hat ceremony again. Only two pairs of eyes remained on her. One pair belonged to an old man whose blue eyes twinkled behind half-moon spectacles. The other pair were dark and belonged to a man significantly younger than the old man; those dark eyes seemed to judge her unfavorably.
"I felt like that took forever," said Suri, glancing at Nathaniel Avery who was beside her.
"It took less than a minute, really," the boy answered. He then smiled and held out a hand. "Nate," he introduced himself.
Suri took his hand. "Suri," she said, and after a beat, "Suri Rosier-Black."
"Mara Selwyn!" was the last first-year to be sorted. She was the blonde girl in Suri's boat.
"Slytherin!"
Suri cheered along with the others when Mara took her place. She was even more thankful when Headmaster Dumbledore, the man with the twinkling eyes, welcomed the students and invited everyone to feast.
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Later that night, true to Oliver's word, Suri found all of her belongings from the Express at the foot of one of the large, canopied four-poster beds.
Similar to the Common Room, the girls' dormitory was heavily decorated in ornate, emerald green. Velvet green drapes hung from the beds' canopies over ornately carved oak bedframes. Her bed was the second closest to the small fireplace that warmed the room, and Mara Selwyn's bed was next to hers.
Suri pulled back the heavy, grey comforters from her bed and ran her hand over the cream-colored sheets beneath it-the sheets were some of the softest material she had ever felt, which surprised her because her Granna spared no expense for comfortable linens.
She explored the rest of the dormitory with Mara and the other first-year girl, Carly Davis. Since only three girls had been sorted in Slytherin, the girls were asked to move into the dormitory with the second-year girls.
The space in the dormitory allowed each girl to have her own bedside table, armoire, and vanity set. Suri glanced at her reflection in the full-length mirror that hung on the inside of her armoire before she closed it; she wondered if other house dorms were as opulent at Slytherin's.
"I guess this is kind of like home," said Carly, running a finger over her nightstand as if checking for dust.
"It's much better than expected," Mara agreed.
Suri listened to the girls talk about what they had at home as she began to unpack. Apparently Carly was used to more closet space, as well as warmer temperatures compared to the consistently cool temperatures of the Slytherin Dungeons.
"You'll get used to it," promised Gemma Farley, a second year with a surprisingly kind smile. She had ushered the other second-year girls out of the dorm to allow Suri, Mara, and Carly a chance to explore the new space on their own.
"What about you, Suri? What do you think?"
She glanced up at Mara, pausing from her unpacking. She sat on her bed and thought for a moment. "I think I'll miss my window," she observed, glancing at the small circular window high above her nightstand. The window was sealed shut and most likely charmed to remain strong against the waters of the Great Lake.
"Your window?" Carly raised a red eyebrow that was a couple shades lighter than her curly red hair.
"Yes," Suri smiled. "I could see everything from my window. I'll definitely miss that."
"Where are you from?"
"Vienna."
"Isn't that closer to Beauxbatons?"
"Yeah," Suri shrugged a shoulder, "I chose between there and Hogwarts."
Mara snorted. "Seems like you picked wrong. I heard Beauxbatons is smaller and classes don't start before ten in the morning. And they have someone singing to you during mealtimes!"
"Maybe," Suri giggled, "I'll have to check with my friends who are there now, but I like Hogwarts just fine. It seems fine so far."
This time it was Carly's turn to scoff. "Sure," she said, "if you like sharing space with mudbloods. Thank Merlin that Slytherin doesn't have any of those here."
Suri twitched at the word when she noticed Mara watching her reaction.
"Don't tell me you're a mudblood lover, Suri," Mara sneered. Suri decided she liked the girl's bored expression better than her sneer. "With your names Roiser and Black, I'd be very surprised if you were."
"Well, I don't know any, er, muggle-born witches or wizards," Suri answered carefully. All of her friends back home were either pureblood like her, or half-bloods. That wasn't because of prejudice, though, it simply was due to the nature of the town she lived in.
"Good," Mara said, nodding with approval.
"But if I did, I think I would care a little more about what kind of friend they were more than their blood," Suri finished.
Mara narrowed her eyes before she rolled them. Her gaze then found one of the books Suri had unpacked, and she smiled, and not in a kind way.
"A children's book, really?" Carly giggled lightly, watching the exchange.
Suri looked down at the book beside her. Earth and Stars was her favorite childhood story about a princess who had lost her wealth and became a servant, and fell in love with a humble boy who turned out to be a prince. It was an echo of a memory that reminder her to be both noble and humble.
Rising to her feet, she lifted her chin slightly, feeling taller than she really was, and smiled in a way that suggested a challenge. "Of course, haven't you read it before? It's a great story about the types of people we should be."
"And what type of person are you?" Mara asked, her blue eyes trained on Suri's.
She smiled still, and touched her necklace beneath her robes. Maybe it was her smile or the narrowing of her grey-blue eyes that made Mara look away, and Suri knew she had won the battle for now. "You said it yourself, Selwyn. I'm a Rosier and a Black. What kind of person do you think that makes me?"
Of course she knew the history her names carried. As part of preparation for attending Hogwarts, Granna had made sure she knew the history of the aristocratic families that were believed to be part of "the Sacred Twenty-Eight", as they were historically called.
The air in the dormitory changed. Suri's last names carried more weight than Mara's, even though Selwyn was among the families listed as being pure. She could almost hear Carly think of ways to stay on her good side since Davis was not among the most noble names.
"You're alright, Selwyn," Suri said, gathering her pajamas and heading for the bathroom to get ready for bed. She hardly gave the girl a second glance.
"You're alright too," Mara said to her retreating back. However, Suri was certain Mara Selwyn would be someone she wouldn't fully like.
Author's Note:
Sorry it's taken me a while to post a chapter! Truth be told, the reason it takes me a while to post is because I don't like being bent in front of my laptop for very long. I have a desk job (for the most part) and it gives me headaches to stare at a screen for so long. So thanks for your patience! I've not given up on Suri! :)
Also, the the reviewer who remembers me from Quizilla! Wow, haha I'm impressed you found me! Currently, I do not have a private/public e-mail that I share with readers, however, if you make an account, I am always willing to answer messages via fanfiction. Thanks :)
Your reviews are love!
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