Chapter 3:
All conversation ceased immediately, gasps of awe ringing through the night. Ivy understood their reactions. The castle was a bright beacon in the early night, silhouetted among the stars. It looked warm and inviting, in the chill September night. The stones, worn smooth by the years, still held a quiet strength in them. She couldn't help but feel let down by it. Even though she had never seen any other castles in her life - "It's… small." She whispered. Hogwarts claimed to have seven floors, but that wasn't strictly true. Most of the castle was spread out along corridors four floors high, with only the six towers reaching the full seven floors. None of the towers exceeded seventy feet in height. In her mind's eye, a castle the size of a city rose nine-hundred feet into the air above Hogwarts. Seven levels composed of gleaming white stone shone even in the night, capped by a spire rising two hundred feet above the seventh level. Minas Anor, she named the castle in her imagination.
"So?" Ivy blinked and the castle city vanished.
"What?" She said quickly, glancing over at Tracey. She snorted.
"I guess that answers that." She said. At Ivy's confused look she elaborated. "I asked what you thought about the castle."
"Oh. It's umm… Nice?"
"The way you were just admiring it, 'nice' is the biggest understatement of the year." Ivy glanced back at the castle, but the white city in her imagination didn't come back.
"It's built very well." Ivy said after a long pause, trying to hide her strange disappointment with it. Somewhere between five-hundred and seven-hundred thousand years ago, Gondor's capital city had vanished, along with all written record of it. A few blank paragraphs in texts older than dirt, and the ancient weapons of the city were all that remained to tell of its legacy. Half of those blades were in the Evans family's possession. She had studied Anduril extensively, the sword of Gondor's Kings. Despite the extreme lack of knowledge about the sword's legend, she found it to be the sword she admired most. Perhaps she'd spent too long staring at it if she was comparing Hogwarts to a city that might never have actually existed.
"Ugh." Tracey grunted in reply. "It's always about how to make things with you. Would it kill you to just appreciate something for how it looks?"
"Yes." Ivy replied, entirely serious. "Beauty cannot be allowed to take away something's purpose. A thing like that becomes something hollow, a twisted reflection of something that could have once become truly beautiful."
"Whoa." The fourth girl in the boat spoke up. "That was pretty deep."
Ivy, Tracey, and Daphne startled, having completely forgotten she was there. As usual, Daphne recovered first. "You said your name was Fay, yes?" She inquired.
"Yup, Fay Dunbar. I–" She was cut off by loud shrieks coming from the people in the other boats. The cause became immediately apparent when one sopping wet student was lifted back into the boat they'd fallen from by a long black tentacle. "That was awesome!" Fay exclaimed.
Ivy, Tracey, and Daphne startled, having completely forgotten she was there. Wait, What? Ivy's hands clenched into fists, as she glared at the fourth occupant of their boat. Her blood boiled beneath her skin, but she held the fire there, ready to ignite on her command. Fay was a pretty average looking young girl. Brown hair framed an extremely normal looking face. Her brown eyes gazed guilelessly back at Ivy, unaware that the other girl was moments away from combusting. This girl isn't anything special, Ivy concluded. Her attention drifted back to Daphne and Tracey, already engrossed in their own conversation, having completely forgotten – NO!
Ivy's glare sharpened as she brought her full attention back to the average looking girl. Except now she wasn't quite as average. Her brown hair was silky smooth, obviously well cared for. Her brown eyes had shifted to hazel, and now held a look of slight shock. "What the hell are you doing to me?!" Ivy growled angrily.
"Are you… looking at me?" Fay asked, a strange look on her no longer normal looking face. That came out wrong. Her face isn't abnormal or ugly, it's actually more pretty than average. Cute, like Tracey. Better keep an eye on Tracey, she's always – FOCUS!
"I'm not taking my eyes off of you until you tell me what the hell you're doing to us!"
"Ivy, what are you talking about?" Daphne asked. "We're not doing anything to you."
Ivy's eyes slid over to Daphne and her glare relaxed. Daphne was safe. Daphne would never be a threat to her. Threat. I felt threatened. Daphne and Tracey aren't threats. "No more'n four to a boat!" They were only three and the giant had said… Three? No, Four. There was a fourth in the boat. Their fourth was… just a squirrel. Not a threat. A squirrel couldn't give her worse than a scratch. Even a Floating squirrel.
"Ivy?" Tracey's voice broke her focus. A shame too, she'd never seen something like that before. Like what? Squirrel. Floating Squirrel. No, not floating, perched on something. Perched on… "Are you okay?"
A squirrel. Not a threat. "Sorry, I'm fine." She smiled at Tracey. Yes, the squirrel is fine, unimportant. Don't worry about it. Don't ever worry about it again.
THUNK! The sound something slamming down on the wooden floor of the boat rang out. The squirrel rocked in time with the movement. The squirrel made the noise. It's unimportant. No, the squirrel is floating, it couldn't touch the wood. But it's perched on something. Perched on… Ivy's hand lashed out, catching Fay's wrist in a tight grip. "Focus!" Ivy growled out to Daphne and Tracey, pointing her other finger directly at Fay.
"Ow ow ow ow, that's hot!" Fay exclaimed, trying to pull her wrist out of Ivy's grasp. Ivy didn't budge, but she pulled the heat back from the hand holding Fay's wrist. Then she lit the hand pointing at Fay on fire.
"Talk. Now." Ivy demanded.
"I-I um… uh." Fay babbled nervously. "That is, um."
"Ivy!" Daphne cut in sharply. "You're frightening the poor girl."
FRIGHTENED. NOT A THREAT. IGNORE. This time, there was no subtlety to the alien thoughts in her head. They hit with the force of a mental wrecking ball, intent on brutalizing her focus into submission. Ivy grinned. Fire was never all that great at subtlety, and neither was she. A massive bonfire roared to life in the back of her mind, almost instantaneously vaporizing the intrusive thoughts. The slight fog previously obscuring her mind vanished, and clarity descended. Instantly, Ivy noticed the little details that had slipped past her previously. Although Daphne and Tracey were now able to look at Fay, their eyes kept slipping back to focus on Ivy. It was only Ivy's hand on Fay's wrist that allowed them to see the other girl at all, just like the squirrel had done for Ivy herself.
It didn't make sense. The magic coming off of Fay was potent. Without the squirrel there to refocus on, Ivy had no doubt that Fay could pluck the wands from the hands of the entire Auror corps on high alert. Maybe she was exaggerating a little, but it had taken a number of coincidences for Ivy to beat it. As an accomplished blacksmith, an extremely close attention to even the minor details was very important. A single flaw in one of her blades could lead to a catastrophic explosion of magic and metal. Even with that, it had been difficult to focus on something as blatantly obvious as a floating squirrel. To top it all off, she wouldn't have even been able to do that without Fay herself stomping on the floor very loudly.
Fay was either the most incompetent person in history, or she wanted to be seen. However, she was the one casting a very powerful magic to hide herself. Or was she?
"You wanted me to see you." Ivy concluded. The flaming hand pointing at Fay flipped over to cup a small flame in the palm of her hand. The flames danced merrily, a simple light source now instead of an overt threat. Daphne may have been acting under the influence of a mind magic, but she was correct. Fay looked frightened. "Yet you are casting mind magic to make us ignore you. Why."
It wasn't a question. In a world where reality could be changed with a few words and a flick of your wrist, changing someone's mind was a huge taboo. Curiously enough, reading the mind was, however, perfectly acceptable. The imperious curse was only the worst offender because of its totality, but any spell that changed how you thought, changed how you acted, and thus changed your self-identity. Fay's spell only changed perception, which wasn't quite as bad. After all, if you were to kill a child because you thought they looked like Voldemort getting ready to cast the killing curse, at least you were still acting like yourself. Right? Fortunately, mind magic was extremely difficult to cast well because everyone perceived the world just a little differently. Different minds thought differently, so it was usually trivial to find and purge foreign thoughts, or if you couldn't do it yourself, find someone who could.
Fay appeared to have found a loophole to that. Mind magic designed to make something difficult to notice was by its own nature difficult to notice. Once she had made physical contact with Fay, that effect vanished and even the eleven-year-old Ivy was able to fight off the powerful spell. That was the other weakness of magic that changed how a person thought. In a duel, two equally powerful wizards might be evenly matched, depending on skill and terrain. In a wizard's own mind, they were effectively a hundred times more powerful, and if their minds were even semi-coherent, possessed of the ultimate home-field advantage. This was the other thing that made the imperious curse so terrifying; It ignored the extra power and skill requirements by suppressing the mind instead of changing it. Further, the recent liberal use of it by the Death Eaters and Voldemort brought that distant fear into a present terror. It was understandable Daphne and Tracey reacted poorly.
Both girls paled instantly, eyes widening in fear. "M-mind magic?" Daphne stuttered out. The temperature around her dropped rapidly as her magic fluctuated with her emotions. Ivy grimaced slightly, pushing out a little bit of her own heat to compensate.
"N-n-n-no!" Fay stuttered out her denial. "I couldn't do anything like that!"
Ivy raised a single eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Well… You clearly can because you are." She pointed out dryly. Fay gulped, looking incredibly nervous.
"I mean that I couldn't do it, I mean I'm only a first year and I don't even know how to cast any spells at all you know, not even the easy ones so there's no way I could cast a powerful curse like this because I can't do that and even if I could I would never do something like this to myself or even to anyone else because-"
"So if you didn't cast the spell, then who did, and why are you exposing us to it." Ivy interrupted the torrent of nervous babbling. Fay looked down at her lap, clenching her free hand into a tight fist.
"We… don't know who cast it." She said softly. "My a lot of greats Grandmother was cursed by someone while she was pregnant and nobody ever noticed her again. The rest of my family was born with weaker versions of the curse, and so was I."
"I see." Ivy replied. "You don't have a choice in the matter, so you do everything you can to be noticed by others, like the squirrel."
"Mhm." Fay hummed happily, with a beaming smile on her face. "And it worked! I got you to see me! Even if you did kind of… threaten me a bit…" Her smile faltered for a second before she went back to beaming at Ivy. Ivy felt something in her gut come uncoiled. She hadn't even realized how on edge she'd been. Despite her frightening stealth capability, Fay wasn't a girl she needed to be on guard against.
"You may not be able to stop the spell," Daphne began frostily, a cold anger on her face. "But there is no reason for you to attend this school and cast it on us." Fay's smile vanished. Apparently, Daphne did feel there was reason to be wary.
"It's not dangerous to anybody though!" Fay protested earnestly. "My family has tested it for generations, and Dumbledore tested it too! It just kinda makes me like someone you walk past all the time but you never really see because they're just another person in the crowd, and that happens like all the time anyway and I've got my squirrel and I wear super bright colors so that people can see me better and the curse only works well if I don't look too out of place. I have an aunt that walks around naked all the time and like, nobody doesn't notice her but people also remember her as a strange naked person and I'd never be able to do that so I got the squirrel and ugly clothes and Dumbledore said that it was okay for me and my sister to go to school here because the curse doesn't hurt anyone, I just don't really have much presence you know, and even if I tried to hurt people then they would see me because your mind doesn't want to ignore threats unless you're like suuuper suicidal but then you'd probably already be dead because you have to like reeeeaaally want to die to ignore something that might hurt you you know?" Stunned silence resounded through the boat following the conclusion of Fay's speech.
"You don't talk to people much do you." Tracey observed with a lazy smirk spread across her face.
"Ah, no." Fay visibly wilted as a mournful look crept onto her features. Ivy shifted the hand grasping Fay's wrist up to her shoulder in a show of silent support.
"Don't worry about it, I think it's cute." Tracey snarked.
"Really!" Fay perked up, beaming once again.
"Really, really." Came Tracey's dry reply.
"Tch." Daphne grunted angrily, arms folded across her chest. Ivy glanced over at her, instantly noticing the icy glare intensely focused on Fay. She frowned.
"Come on Daphne, don't be like that." She cajoled quietly. "Look at her, she's harmless." Daphne glanced at Ivy quickly before her glare lasered back in on Fay.
"Is that you saying that, or her curse?" Daphne countered. Ivy hid a wince from Daphne as HARMLESS. IGNORE. slammed into the literal firewall around her mind. She couldn't help but glance back over at Fay, who was now babbling excitedly at Tracey.
"… named her Fay so that when people are focusing on her to talk to me they're also talking to Fay you know? Actually sometimes people even think that I am her because they keep forgetting I'm there and stuff so they're just like, hey, maybe someone just made a magic floating talking squirrel or something." Fay's arms flailed about wildly as she spoke, possibly attempting to enhance her communicative skills through gestures. It was not a form of communication Ivy understood. "I mean, Madam Malkin's tried to make Hogwarts robes for Fay instead of me, but putting aside the fact that apparently floating talking squirrels are considered legitimate students of Hogwarts I had to convince her to make a set of robes for my fake invisible friend just so that she could find my body to get my size for the robes and she still made me pay for the squirrel sized robes even though I said…"
"Yeah, that's definitely me saying that." Ivy paused in thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose its technically both me and the spell." She mused.
"Ha!" Daphne exclaimed furiously, jabbing a finger at Fay. "So you do admit she's controlling you!"
"What? Come on Daphne, you know I'm just too stubborn to let some spell tell me what I'm thinking." Ivy joked.
"We'll see if you still think that when she walks away then." Daphne replied.
"Bet you five galleons I do." Ivy shot back with a grin. Daphne's glare momentarily faltered as her eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Safest bet I've made all year." Daphne practically hissed back, her eyes once again intensely focused on Fay.
The rest of the thankfully short boat ride was an exercise in awkward for the three friends sharing a boat with Fay Dunbar. Ivy quickly gave up reconciling Daphne to Fay as a cause so lost it wasn't even in the galaxy anymore. The second the boat docked to the pier at the base of the castle, Daphne dragged her two friends as far away from the chatterbox as possible.
"It was nice meeting you!" Fay called after them, apparently unable to recognize the clear distaste Daphne held for her. Ivy laughed.
"I'll see you around Fay." She replied.
"Will you really?" Daphne snarked quietly at Ivy. Ivy rolled her eyes instead of dignifying her with a proper response.
Once everyone had disembarked safely, Hagrid once more gathered all of the first years. "Right then, Follow me!" The giant man called out. It took the group around ten minutes to walk up the long winding path from the quay to the castle entrance. When they arrived, Hagrid spoke up once more. "You'll be waitin in there fer professor McGonagall to collect ya. She'll tell you all what ter do from there." As Hagrid departed, the group of First Years made their way into the castle as instructed. When she finally entered, Ivy found herself having to re-evaluate her initial impression of Hogwarts.
The inside of the castle was physically much like the outside. In a word, it was old. In eleven years of life, Ivy was already one of the world's foremost experts in studying Noble Phantasms. Ivy appreciated old. Just standing in the entrance hall, Ivy could feel the pure magic in the stones. Centuries old walls exuded such presence and power that Ivy should have felt small standing next to them. It made no sense, but every fiber of her being screamed that this castle had her at its mercy. It comforted her. The sheer power of Hogwarts dwarfed even the power of all of its occupants put together, but there wasn't even the smallest bit of it that could be used to do harm.
It felt maternal, Ivy thought. Perhaps that wasn't the right word for it, but it was the best Ivy could think of. Hogwarts would nurture and defend the children inside its walls with every iota of its power. The moment they entered the doors of the castle it had placed them all under its aegis. No, Hogwarts could never make her feel small. The castle would not allow anything to harm her here. Such powerful protection made her feel very confident indeed.
Hogwarts was a Noble Phantasm. She decided. Or at least, on the cusp of becoming one. Its legend, its presence, and its power reminded her of the kind of aura she'd only ever felt in the presence of her family's collection. Guilt suffused her. She had judged this castle by its appearance alone. Had she not espoused the opposite such a short time ago? Despite its worn-down state, Hogwarts was truly beautiful. She closed her eyes, and opened her senses to the world around her. A small, peaceful smile appeared on her face unconsciously.
As always, the first thing she felt was warmth. The bodies around her distracted her for a moment, but she pushed past it to the heat she could feel within the walls. Past that, the castle opened up to her senses. Aside from the first years near her, there were no more than ten people scattered around the castle, and a massive congregation up the stairs and directly ahead of them. She looked deeper into the flow of the castles magic. Currents traveled the hallways, many of them shifting erratically. The passages bounced from place to place without rhyme or reason in a way that should have made Ivy's head hurt. The only reason it didn't, Ivy suspected, was the castle's protection.
Ivy's visual observation was correct in one aspect. This castle did not have seven floors. It felt closer to forty-nine. Each floor had seven of its own floors that existed in the same space but in different locations. But that was impossible, so they expanded out into each other until they were all entwined chaotically in a dancing, twisting web, except it was also a single, never-ending path both impossibly straight, and refracted through a distortion in eternity. Something ancient and powerful called out to her. She heard it with an impossible clarity, and though she knew she'd never heard its voice before, it was also the most intimately familiar sound she'd ever heard. It was reaching out to her from across an impossibly vast Kaleidoscope wrapped around an - ANCHOR.
Ivy's senses snapped back into the center of the castle, and the call she'd heard abruptly cut off. The impossible mass of Hogwarts gracefully resolved itself into three dimensions, seven floors coming into clarity. It was exactly as Ivy had witnessed its physical form, except for the addition of a seventh tower in the center connecting them all through a series of ever-changing staircases. Everything appeared how it should. This was the Hogwarts that students walked through every day. It wasn't the real Hogwarts. She'd seen what the castle truly was for that one instant before its protection had sealed it away. She couldn't decide if the castle was protecting her or itself. For all it's impossibility, it had been the most beautiful thing Ivy had seen in her life. She rose up to the peak of the central tower, trying to see past the anchor that held the castle in this three-dimensional space. She wanted to see it again. No, there was something there she needed to see again. Her view continued to expand until the castle's eternity was almost in sight. She was so close now, if only she could go a little bit higher.
The stairs and corridors re-aligned themselves in Ivy's view. Ever so gently, the castle's magic began to flow downwards, carrying a protesting Ivy back with it. She struggled in vain, but even taking every precaution to avoid harming her, the castle was so much more powerful then she was now. Her sight dimmed and shrank until finally she could see only one room, filled with the warmth of several bodies. One of them stood out from the rest, a blazing beacon of pure heat to her senses. It was so bright in her eyes that it nearly obscured her view of the other people in the room. With a start, she realized the body was her own. When had she left it? She couldn't recall. Did it matter though? When so much was being kept from her could she really go back to what she was? The castle's magic nudged her gently towards her body. She decided to allow herself to drift along. She should pick up her body first. It was only a small part of her but it was a part of her nonetheless. She couldn't be whole if she left it behind.
Ivy's eyes shot open. She was – where was she? She'd been in Hogwarts, and she'd been… What? Her magic was spread through the castle walls; she'd been observing it. A strange sense of foreboding filled her. She'd seen more than she should have. She pulled her magic back into herself carefully, resolving not to delve too deeply into the secrets of the castle. Her magic was barely covering the first floor, and she'd already been overwhelmed. She sighed in relief as the last of her magic pulled back into her body.
There was something odd though. There was more within her than there had been moments prior. What the hell had she seen? Then she remembered, and pain struck her. Hogwarts was so much more than she could ever comprehend. What she had seen was barely a glimpse of whatever the castle was. She was certain if she hadn't been pulled back when she had been, she would have died. No living thing could ever understand it. Yet, something had called out to her, had made her more than what she had been. Her thoughts shuddered to a halt as a fresh wave of pain hit her. For the first time Ivy could remember, her head felt like it was on fire, and it wasn't a good thing. Now, the heat brought her pain instead of comfort.
She felt, more than heard when the ghosts appeared behind her. The other students startled at their voices and wondered at the show they put on for the First Years. None of the words they spoke registered with her, but she did notice when one casually walked through her. All at once the magic of Hogwarts swept through her mind. It brought heat with it where it touched, but it was a fire she was familiar with. Blessed relief swept through her as it burned away the memory of infinity. She sighed contently as the pain burned away along with it, her muddled thoughts becoming clearer. There was still more there than there was before, but she'd sort through those chaotic memories later.
"Terribly sorry my dear." The ghost spoke up. "I didn't see you there." Ivy observed the ghost that had passed through her. He was an older man, wearing a frilly, high-collared robe. It appeared like it might have once been rather colorful, but like the rest of the man it was now made of different shades of transparent gray.
"Thank you, but it was no bother to me at all." She replied. The ghost smiled at her.
"I am Sir Nicholas De Mimsy Porpington, the Gryffindor house ghost." He introduced himself with a slight bow. His head wobbled dangerously as he straightened up.
"I know you!" A red-headed boy in the crowd exclaimed. "You're Nearly-headless Nick!"
"I prefer Sir Nicholas, if you don't mind." The partially decapitated man said with a slight frown.
"It was a pleasure to meet you Sir Nicholas." Ivy sketched out a quick bow in reply.
"The pleasure was all mine my dear." Sir Nicholas said, grateful for the change of topic. "I do hope to see you in Gryffindor later." He drifted away after that, many small conversations erupting between the excited first years.
"Are you alright Ivy?" Daphne asked. "You seem a little pale."
"Don't tell me, did the itty-bitty ghost scare wittle Ivy?" Tracey mocked.
The creak of the massive doors at the top of the stairs opening up cut off any reply Ivy may have had. A bespectacled older woman in dark green robes passed through them. The chatter instantly died down at her appearance. "I am professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts." She introduced herself.
"Now, the start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.
The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. Are there any questions before we begin?" When none came forward, the professor turned sharply on her heel and left the entrance hall.
Conversation exploded as soon as the door shut behind her.
"What do you think we have to do for the sorting?"
"My brothers said we've got to wrestle a troll."
"Do you think it's a quiz? Can we fail getting into Hogwarts?" Whoever said that halted most of the conversation.
"What." Someone said flatly.
"Professor McGonagall did tell us to smarten up. Does that mean we can get kicked out if we fail the test?" That voice Icy recognized as Hermione's.
"In front of the rest of the school?" Neville's voice squeaked.
"Oh, god, I can't just go home now! I couldn't face my parents!" Several people, mostly muggleborn students echoed the same panicked sentiment.
"Relax, they're not going to go through the trouble of bringing you all here just to send you home." Ivy cut in confidently. An almost visible wave of relief swept through the crowd. "Yet." She added, smirking to herself when the panic swept back through the gathered First Years. Tracey winked at Ivy, then put on what she called her 'cute face'. Wide eyes and a small nervous smile, emphasized by a rosy blush perfectly obscured the wicked nature of the girl who wore them. Head cocked to the side slightly in apparent curiosity, she turned to Ivy.
"Ah, um," She began softly. "D-didn't your mom say something about c-cuts starting after the first week?"
"Well, yeah, but we've already learned all the spells on the test." Ivy played along. "If we only had a week to learn, even we might have been cut too!" She exclaimed.
"Y-you're just having us on, aren't you?"
"Yeah, there's no way they'll cut us."
Ivy just shrugged, and Tracey began shivering slightly as if in fear. Their lack of verbal response further incited the panic more than anything they could have said. Before they could stir up the crowd any further, the doors to the Great Hall opened once more. Professor McGonagall strode out swiftly, a stern look affixed on Ivy and Tracey.
"I am afraid your mother misinformed you. Hogwarts will not be cutting any students so quickly." She began sternly. She paused briefly so her words would have maximum effect. "We will wait until we receive the results of the end of year exams. Study hard students."
"Brilliant." Ivy whispered in awe. The professor had masterfully manipulated the students into both calming down slightly, and motivating them to apply themselves to their classes. It was, Ivy supposed, an essential skill for a professor, and especially so for one that was also Deputy Headmistress.
"We are ready for you now." The professor stated. She turned sharply, the students following mutely in her wake. Four long tables occupied the length of the hall, with a larger gap between the center tables that Professor Mcgonagall led them through. Under the weight of the stares on them, none of the first years spoke. The professor brought them to a halt in front of a three-legged stool atop which sat a roll of parchment and a ratty old hat. She picked up the parchment and turned expectantly to the old piece of clothing. A moment later, a tear near its brim opened up and it began to sing.
"Oh you may not think I'm pretty, but don't judge on what you see, I'll eat myself if you can find a smarter hat than me. You can keep your bowlers black, your top hats sleek and tall, for I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat and I can cap them all. There's nothing hidden in your heart the Sorting Hat can't see, so try me on and I will tell you where you ought to be. You might belong in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart, their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart! You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal. Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, and unafraid of toil. Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, where those of wit and learning, will always find their kind. Or perhaps in Slytherin you'll make your real friends, those cunning folks use any means to achieve their ends. So put me on! Don't be afraid! And don't get in a flap! You're in safe hands (though I have none), for I'm a Thinking Cap!"
Applause rang through the hall at the conclusion of the hat's song. Many of the students Ivy and Tracey had previously put on edge turned to glare at them. "Now when I call your name, you will come forward and place this hat on your head." McGonagall directed. "Ivy."
For a moment, surprise kept Ivy rooted in her spot. She shook it off quickly, making her way forward to sit on the old stool.
"Ouch." She heard someone mutter as she passed by them.
"Perhaps you should head to the hospital wing after the feast?" McGonagall whispered to Ivy as she sat down on the stool. "And a reminder that fighting will not be tolerated in Hogwarts."
"I'm fine." Ivy grunted quietly. Thankfully, the exchange was short and quiet enough that none of the other students could hear it. The large hat quickly descended over her head, falling down to cover her eyes.
Oh dear, what a mess you've left in here. The hat spoke in her mind. This might take a while. I see what happened now. You Saw the Castle. The Headmaster should already know that you have Seen it, but if he does not soon call upon you, you should seek him out yourself.
Ivy's mind whirled. Of course, the Headmaster would have to know just what kind of place the castle was. The only question was whether he had any measure of control over the power of the castle.
You already know no one can even comprehend that, let alone control it. Now let me sort you. The hat demanded. What's this? You are so determined to spend your life creating a weapon that surpasses those you've seen. In all my years I do not believe I've ever seen such an arrogant ambition. Hmmm, and I see an incredible cunning there as well. Salazar would have loved to nurture that. But no, you would not fit in Slytherin house. You may possess cunning, but you often ignore it and act rashly.
Ivy felt vaguely offended at that, but was unable to deny the truth of it. Brash and stubborn were words that described her well. There is intelligence in spades, and a desire to learn more, but it's too narrowly focused. You learn not for the sake of learning, but to fuel your ambition. No, Ravenclaw would not fit you.
This time Ivy was fully in agreement with the hat. She might have found studying weapons and forging incredibly fun, but it was because of what she was learning, not because she was learning. Your courage is exemplary. It is a trait that would serve you well in Gryffindor, and you do desire to be a part of his house. Hmmm… The hat paused in thought for a moment before it spoke to her once again. Ivy perked up slightly, eagerly awaiting the hat's decision. But no, I do not believe you will do well there. Gryffindor valued bravery in the defense of others. You are relentless solely in the pursuit of your own ends. You would not risk yourself for someone else's sake.
This time Ivy protested strongly. There was very little that she wouldn't give up for the sake of her friends and family.
I see. There are few you call your own, but for them you will move mountains. Your dedication even in the face of danger is admirable. Yes, and perhaps there you may be able to learn the patience you lack. That settles it. For your unrelenting determination and your unswerving loyalty, the only place for you is…
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted.
A/N: So. This is late. And here's my excuse; I've got good news and bad news for you guys. The good news is that contrary to what you might think, I didn't just abandon this story for a whole month. I've actually written a bunch for this story. The bad news is that the stuff I wrote happens around chapter twenty or so. I'm kind of bored with the beginning of the story and all the set-up I have to do. I was also forced to stick closer to canon than I want to, and in fact McGonagall's speech and the hat's song were copy-pasted from the book. My inspiration for later chapters is still strong, but it's a bit of a chore to get there. Expect a while between updates for the next few chapters before it really starts picking up. That said, I'll try not to take more than a month for the next chapter, but I've learned not to promise when updates are coming.
TL;DR – Sorry this took so long.
Super important set-up chapter though. We learn that Hogwarts is insanely powerful, and protective of her students. So protective even, that perhaps eleven-year-old kids can survive facing down extremely powerful dark lords, twelve-year-old kids can slay basilisks directed by extremely powerful dark lords, and so on (basically, J.K. Rowling, you're welcome I patched up that plot hole for you). Next chapter is the dreaded info-dump where we learn what the hell is going on with this castle and shit. Also, I made up an actual reason for Fay Dunbar, and a girl canonically described as "red-headed girl" to appear in literally only one scene in canon despite being in Gryffindor and in Harry's year. They're twins who are cursed to be barely noticeable. (J.K. you're welcome again, and yes, I stole the curse from Kellam in Fire Emblem Awakening)
As always, if I missed something, messed up, or if you have any questions, please send me a P.M. and I'll respond as soon as I can.
Ga3_Bolg out.