Chapter 4: A Magical Start
*Author disclaimer: I have done some research on what fans think which character should be in which house, however for the sake of the story, I have put certain characters in other houses. If you feel they should be in different houses, tell me*
As the first years, lead by Hagrid, made their way toward the boats that would take them to Hogwarts, Akko noticed that the boats were missing ores, she pointed this out to the others and they wondered the same,
"Why are there no Ores? How are we going to get to the castle if we have no way of moving the boats? Paddling by hand?"
"Nope, there's actually a giant squid that pulls the boats to the castle, it's pretty cool. But, don't fall in, it has a hard time telling the difference between food and students." Phoenix explained, leaving everyone a little scared, not of the water, but what else could be lurking in the water.
Amanda slipped her wand out, glaring at the water, "If that thing sticks its tentacles out, I won't hesitate."
With everyone sat nicely in the boats, looking around, and every student in the front of each boat holding a lantern, Hagrid tapped the side of his boat and all of them started moving.
Once Hogwarts came into view, everyone was amazed, Akko and her friends just looked in awe,
"It's huge, it's bigger the Luna Nova." Akko whispered to herself.
Diana noticed that the castle had more to it then Luna Nova could even dream of ever having, "I wonder how hard it must be to navigate."
"First time, may take some practice to memorize where certain rooms are, but I'm sure by year 3 you'll memorize at least 85% of the castle," Phoenix said holding the lantern in his boat.
"Yeah, that reminds me." Diana said coming close to the boat Akko, Phoenix and Chariot were in, "How many years do people usually have to stay here for?"
"Well, to clear this up right off the bat, you get summers off and you can get Christmas off if you want, but people have to come here for 7 years. But, each year gets more interesting, trust me."
Diana looked at the castle when she heard that she would spend 7 school years at Hogwarts. It was becoming more tempting, but she was still unsure about how classes would be structured.
Akko was conflicted, she was excited to see what Hogwarts would be like, but spending 7 years there, that would mean forgetting about LN, then again, her idol, Chariot was going with her, so maybe the idea wouldn't be too bad. Not to mention it would probably take at least 7 years for them to rebuild LN completely.
Once they reached the boathouse, Hagrid stopped at the bottom of the stairs and announced, "Ok, this is where Phoenix will take over from here, follow him up to the Great Hall and the Headmistress will do the rest."
With that, Hagrid started moving the boats back into storage, and Phoenix led the first years up the steps toward that castle. It was clear that some of the students would have a hard time getting up the steps seeing how there were so many, but they were clearly excited and fought their exhaustion to get to the top.
Once they got to the top, an old lady, who was waiting at the front doors to the castle, stepped forward.
"I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, I welcome all of you. Now before you begin your time at Hogwarts, you will be sorted into 1 of 4 houses, your house will be like your family, your triumphs will earn you points, any rule-breaking and you will lose points. The house with the most points at the end of the year wins the House Cup. The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily, Phoenix come with me, we have some things to discuss."
Phoenix turned to Chariot and nodded as he followed Prof. McGonagall through the doors.
*Phoenix's View*
I walked through the doors and took in the familiar sights, it had been a while since I strolled through the halls. I turned to McGonagall who had a smile on her face, I knew she was happy to see me,
"I see you missed me, but what is it you wanted to discuss with me? You mentioned that you had something essential to tell me in your letter."
McGonagall nodded and stepped toward me, "You said that the girls you were going to bring to Hogwarts were from another school, you offered to take the role of DADA Professor, and you were going to take full responsibility for them."
I didn't say that last part, but I was still going to take responsibility either way.
"I will allow you to bring them, and will give you the post of DADA, on one condition."
"Ok, name it."
She gave me a look that I was all too familiar with, a look she would give to someone when she was being quite serious,
"You will become head of Gryffindor House and will be in charge of the sorting ceremony."
I looked at her for a bit before answering, "Ok, deal."
She stepped away and nodded, "Good, now when will those girls be here?"
"Oh, they're already here. They're in the group of first years."
McGonagall gave me a look of surprise, I never did fail to impress her.
"Alright, well, I'll be waiting in the Great Hall, bring the first years in."
"Will do." I made my way out to the front to lead the group in.
As Phoenix stepped out, everyone was chatting, showing off or just waiting around.
"Alright, we're ready for you, follow me."
Everyone followed Phoenix through the doors and into the Great Hall where many other students were waiting and the other professors, sitting at a long table at the end of the hall. Up above them were lit candlesticks floating below a night sky.
McGonagall stood at the podium with a list of the first-year students in her hand, she watched as the fresh faces looked around, but she knew that no school year goes by without something big happening.
Phoenix reached the steps leading up to the Professor's Table, gesturing for the group to wait at the bottom of the steps.
"Wait for me to give you the OK to start, I need to say a few things first." McGonagall whispered to Phoenix, in which he promptly nodded in understanding.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts, before we begin, Professor McGonagall has a few words."
McGonagall got up and began speaking, "I'd like to inform all first years, that the dark forest surrounding the grounds is forbidden to all students, also, any areas marked with an Auror symbol are off-limits to students unless authorized, and an announcement to all students, I'd like to welcome Professor Phoenix Kingston, who will be taking the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts and Head of Gryffindor House, I hope you will wish him good luck."
Phoenix faced the students and gave a slight nod and wave before McGonagall gave him the OK to start sorting.
"Now, when I call your name, you will come up and sit on this stool, I will place the sorting hat on your head and you will be sorted into your house. Jasmika Antonenko."
Jasmika flinched when she was the first up, she walked up and took a seat on the stool.
Just before Phoenix placed the sorting hat on her head, he said, "Don't freak out."
When the hat hit her head, it came alive, forming a face with the folds of fabric, it had a deep, almost menacing voice.
"Hmm, yes, I see, let me think...Hufflepuff!"
And with that Jasmika walked off to join her house, greeting the people in it.
"Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger, (Still a mouthful)."
Constanze did the same as Jasmika and took a seat on the stool, once the hat was put on her head it came to life once more.
"Hmm, an engineer of sorts, yes quite intelligent, yes Ravenclaw!"
Constanze was flattered by what the hat said but was surprised that she wasn't in the same house as Constanze, but there were perks. She made her way to her fellow Ravenclaws and greeted them with a small smile.
"Henry Franks"
A chubby boy with hazel hair and a lot of freckles stepped forward, and sat down,
"Hmm, interesting, quite the brute, yes, I think Hufflepuff!"
Henry walked toward his new house and right beside Jasmika.
"Amanda O'Neill"
Amanda, for the first time in a while, was terrified, she sat on the stool and waited for her judgment.
"Ah...someone with a sense of adventure and yet a weak sense of judgment, hmm...Hufflepuff!"
Amanda let out a sigh of relief as she joined Jasmika at the Hufflepuff table, she noticed that Jasmika looked slightly tensed, beads of sweat were rolling down her head. She was starving but she didn't want anyone to see that, but Amanda knew her all too well.
"Lotte Yanson."
Lotte looked up at Phoenix who smiled when he read her name, nodding for her to come up, she did so, letting out a breath to calm down.
"AH, someone with a unique talent...but also quite studious...Ravenclaw!"
Lotte smiled as she joined Constanze at the Ravenclaw table, Constanze had kept a straight face, but inside she was glad she wasn't the only one in the group to be put in Ravenclaw.
"Summer Snow."
A girl with white hair and pale skin stepped forward, she looked somewhat young, but at that same time walked with a bit of a limp.
"Hmm, a sense of morality, and yet a bit of doubt in your mind...hmm, I think, Slytherin!"
The girl stepped off the stool and limped her way to the Slytherin table, all the while, showing no emotion at all. Sucy watched the girl and sensed something didn't seem right, almost as if she wasn't, herself.
"Sucy Manbavaran."
But she didn't have time to think about that, it was her turn to be sorted.
"Huh...difficult, you seem a bit mischievous, almost as if you wish to cause trouble…"
Sucy tried to keep her focus away from Summer, but she had a feeling something was wrong, so she tried something, she whispered, "Put me in Slytherin, I need to be in Slytherin."
The hat heard this and questioned her, "You wish to be in Slytherin eh? Not Ravenclaw, you seem to be quite a studious student, but if you're sure, then Slytherin!"
Phoenix was confused, but when Sucy walked toward the Slytherin table, she sat next to Summer, he figured that Sucy might be trying to help her. He noticed that something off,
"Sucy must have noticed something too." He thought.
"Atsuko Kagari."
Akko, hearing her name, straightened her back, puffed out her chest and walked up, making her friends laugh a bit and forced Phoenix to hold back a laugh.
"Ah...you are an interesting one...you are a believer...and an achiever, I know just where to put you...Gryffindor!"
Akko's eyes widened in excitement but at the same time concern, she was the first to be put into Gryffindor at that point, and Chariot and Diana were the only ones left. Nonetheless, she made her way to the Gryffindor table, while trying to hold back her scream of excitement.
"Gilbert Nicholson"
A boy with a strange marking on his face stepped forward and took a seat, he almost looks like he was holding back a laugh.
"Hmm, you're a strange one...I think I'll put you in-"
Gilbert spoke up, "I think you should put me in Gryffindor," he said with an abnormally large grin, which all the students and Phoenix saw.
"I think...Slytherin! Now beat it, you scare me."
He just casually walked to the far end of the Slytherin table, all the while smiling.
Phoenix just shook his head and continued.
"Diana Cavendish."
Diana, as her posh self, walked up to be sorted, but inside she was terrified, she wanted to be in Gryffindor as well, but the sorting hat looks at all aspects of a person, so her chances seemed slim to her.
"Hmm, difficult, you're very difficult to judge, you have a kind heart, but seem quite cold in your mind... but you seem to have...feelings for someone, in Gryffindor…"
Diana was slightly thankful that the sorting hat had whispered that last part, but she wanted to try to convince him to put her in Gryffindor but that wasn't needed,
"I think I know where you would fit, Gryffindor!"
Diana had a moment of sweet relief but she had to hide it, but once she reached the table, Akko hugged her close,
"I'm so glad you're in the same house as me."
Diana returned the hug without hesitation.
"That only leaves Chariot, I hope the hat will be fair with her."
"Chariot du Nord."
Chariot froze up, she couldn't do anything she was so nervous. Phoenix gave her a reassuring nod and smile and she walked up, took a seat and hoped for the best.
"Hmm, interesting, studious, brave, but I sense...regret in your mind. You hide a dark secret, a secret that involves... dark and powerful magic, one that no longer exists."
The hat wasn't wrong, the night she lost the shiny rod, the night she damaged the moon, and the last night she stole the magic power from her audience, was the night that opened her eyes to the horrible things she was doing, but she wished to redeem herself. And she did, she helped get Akko and Diana the positive energy needed to catch up to the missile and taught Akko all she could, but even after what happened, she still felt guilty.
"Chariot…"
Chariot heard Phoenix's voice in her head,
"When are you going to figure it out. Akko already forgave you, so when are you going to forgive yourself?"
Those words made her realize, she was holding herself back, she needed to forgive herself, she helped so many people after helping with the defeat of the magic missile, she needed to forget the mistakes she learned from. She smiled, she knew that coming here would be a good way to have a fresh start.
"Hmm, I think you will do well in Slytherin, but you may need to be near friends to help recover from your past, so it's best you be in...Gryffindor!"
Chariot gave a look of both shock and joy, as everyone clapped, Chariot joined Akko and Diana at the Gryffindor table. Akko put her hand on Chariot's shoulder,
"You're going to be alright as long as you believe in yourself like you always said."
Chariot smiled, she felt a huge weight being lifted off her back, Akko did have a way of cheering people up.
After the last of the first years were sorted, Phoenix tapped a glass in front of him to get everyone's attention,
"Your attention please."
McGonagall got up from her chair and said, "Let the feast, begin."
And right before their very eyes, a whole feast appeared, every first year was amazed, the LN gang (That's what I'm calling them) were even more so. But one person, in particular, was enjoying it a bit more than the others...Jasmika was continuously stuffing her face with all sorts of food, Amanda didn't mind, but Henry was slightly concerned.
At the Ravenclaw table, Lotte was enjoying some mashed potatoes when she noticed something moving through the table when it got right in front of her, it popped up...it was none other than the Gray Lady, the ghost of Ravenclaw house,
"Oh, hello there." Lotte greeted kindly,
"Hello, you must be one of the girls from that other school."
"How'd you know?"
"Word travels fast around Hogwarts, by the way, I'm known as the Gray Lady, but please call me Helena."
"Ok Helena, I'm Lotte, and this is Constanze."
Constanze looked up and quietly said hi.
At the Slytherin table, Sucy was eating some chicken while getting to know her fellow Slytherins, but when she turned her attention to Summer, she was just sitting there, staring at her plate.
"Are you not going to eat something?"
"I can't."
Sucy jumped when she heard Summer speak, she had a very smooth voice, but she sounded like she had seen death.
"Why not, you look like you need some food."
"I just want to starve, I'm not supposed to be here. I want to be with my family…"
"You Homesick?"
"My family is in Hell."
Sucy froze when she heard that, Summer said her family was basically dead. Sucy went back to her food and tried to forget what Summer had said.
And at the Gryffindor table, Akko was chatting with her fellow Gryffindors, Diana was doing some reading while eating, and Chariot was...actually relaxing for once. Phoenix was chatting with the other Professors, catching up with the Professors that he had when he was a student at Hogwarts.
Once the feast ended everyone followed a Prefect in their house to their Common Rooms, but Phoenix was asked to lead the Gryffindors to the Common Room due to the Prefects being busy with their rounds.
"Keep close Gryffindors, and mind the stairs they...like to change."
Akko, Diana, and Chariot were confused by what he said, but they would soon understand when they reached the grand staircase. The stairs were literally moving on their own, going from floor to floor, but they weren't the only things moving. The paintings were also moving, they were alive, talking not only to them but also to each other.
"This place is just surprising me more and more," Akko said looking at all the painting covering the walls,
"No kidding, this place has more magic then Luna Nova could ever have," Diana responded,
"But that must be because there isn't a power source for all the magic."
"Yeah, maybe."
They made their way to the seventh floor, and to a large portrait of a fat lady. The lady came to life and asked,
"Password?"
Phoenix responded with, "Dawn's Truth."
The lady nodded and the portrait opened revealing an opening. As they walked in they saw the common room, it was pretty nice, kinda small, but not cramped.
"Alright, this is the Gryffindor Common Room, if you make your way upstairs you will find the dormitories, boys will be on the left, girls on the right. Your things have already been brought up, get settled in and head to bed, you have your first classes in a couple of days."
Most of the students chose to head to bed, others, including Akko, Diana, and Chariot, chose to look around for a bit, and hang around the fire to settle in a bit easier.
"This place is great, much roomier than the dorms at Luna Nova, I wonder what the other common rooms are like," Akko said relaxing on the couch.
In the Ravenclaw Common Room, Lotte and Constanze, along with the other Ravenclaw first years had entered and begun settling in. Most of the first years chose to either go to bed or check out the books on the shelves, Lotte was one of the book readers.
Constanze, on the other hand, went to a part of the common room with not many people, so she could let Stanbot out, who was hiding in her hood. She tried to think of a way to use Stanbot while at Hogwarts, seeing how Phoenix mentioned how they don't use technology much in the Wizard World,
"Hmm, maybe I could use you to help take notes, help study...or maybe…"
Constanze had something planned, something that may help not only her but also her friends.
"Hmm, I wonder if this place has a library as big as Luna Nova, maybe even bigger," Lotte said putting a book back on the shelf.
Constanze nodded in agreement, but her mind soon turned to how Amanda and Jasmika were doing, she was missing them a little.
In the Hufflepuff Common room...everyone was asleep...except Amanda and Jasmika, Amanda was just sitting on her bed, thinking about what will come in the near future.
"We're kind spread out eh Jasmika?" Jasmika nodded with a mouth full of food, she had snuck some food into her robe to eat in the common room.
"This place seems so cool, but I have a feeling the people will be different, not the teachers, they seem nice, but the other students."
Jasmika stopped eating and said, "You worry too much, just relax, this is a new school, new experience, a fresh start, just let it happen."
She then continued eating,
"Heh, you're right, this is a fresh start, a chance to change, and I'll take advantage of it. Thanks, Jasmika."
"Hmm hmm."
In the Slytherin Common room, Sucy was getting ready for bed, but she noticed something that made her skin crawl a bit. Summer was walking out of the girl's dorm with something in her hand, something that resembled her wand, but it had a sharp point to it.
She snuck behind her, being sure not to make a sound and making sure to keep a good distance from her. Summer stopped right at the fireplace and lit it up with her wand. Sucy watched from around the corner trying to figure out what Summer was up to, she got her answer when Summer pulled out a photo, one of her, what seemed to be her parents and an older boy,
"I'm sorry Marcus, but I need to see them."
She put the photo back in her pocket and pulled out her wand, she pointed it at her neck and said, "Sectum-"
"Expelliarmus!"
Summer's wand flew out of her hand and into the hand of a boy, about 16 and had a scar over his mouth.
"Summer, how many times do I have to tell you, Mum and Dad, aren't dead, they're just a bit sick. Now please, go to bed, you have classes in a few days, get some rest."
Summer tried to say something, but stopped herself and made her way back to the dorms. Sucy hid from her and she walked right past her.
"You can come out now. I know you're there,"
Sucy flinched a bit, but she did as she was told,
"Uh, I was just concerned about her, I wasn't…"
The boy stopped her, "It's alright, I believe you. She can just be...a bit desperate for answers. Oh, I'm Marcus Snow, by the way, I'm a sixth year and a Prefect for Slytherin House."
Sucy put two and two together and realized who she was talking to,
"So, you're Summer's brother, how'd you get the…" Sucy gestured to her mouth, making the same shape of the scar,
"Heh, this is from one of her attempts to befriend a minotaur, and uh, she came close, but she got a bit too...emotional. But I'm guessing the question you really want to ask is, why she was acting like that, right?" Sucy nodded.
"Well, I'll make this simple to understand, our parents...well. They were tortured to insanity, by our uncle. He was a horrible man, thought our father was the reason our grandfather gave all his valuable assets to us and not him. We tried to stop him and he managed to torture Summer a bit, but I couldn't stop him in time. The damage had already been done. He's dead now, he axed himself off before he could get arrested."
Sucy was shocked, his family had a painful past, and he's the only one who's sane and he looked like he had his hands full.
"How long has Summer been like that?"
Marcus looked away, "5 years. She's been like this for 5 years."
Sucy was taken aback, she had to live without her parents for half her life, Marcus had to raise her while he was still at Hogwarts.
"Do you feel guilty about what happened?"
"No...I've accepted the cards I've been dealt, there's no going back."
Sucy wanted to comfort him, but she was unsure how to feel.
"I think I've gone on for long enough, you should head to bed too, you'll need your rest. As do I."
He made his way to the Boy Dorms, right before he reached the door, he said, "Night Sucy."
Sucy made her way back to the Girl Dorms, but she realized that she never told him her name unless he was at the Sorting Ceremony, she was too tired to think.
END OF CHAPTER