Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling, and Akame Ga Kill is owned by Takahiro and Tetsuya Tashiro. I own nothing.
The train ride itself took a good six hours, most of which was spent talking about the upcoming classes, the professors, and different spells that they would be learning.
"Do you think we're required to know how to do some of the spells before we begin classes?" Harry asked.
Neville shook his head. "I'm not sure if anyone told you, but we're not allowed to use magic outside of school until we're seventeen. That's what the trace is for."
"What's the trace?" Harry asked wanting to know more.
"Well when any witch or wizard who's under seventeen performs magic outside school it gets picked up by the Ministry. They have a way to keep track, but I don't know how," Neville told him.
"What happens to someone who does do magic out of school," Hermione asked.
"Well usually they get an owl to their house letting them know not to do it again, but if it keeps happening then they get kicked out of school."
"That's awful!" Hermione exclaimed. "And I was hoping to practice what I learned this year over the summer."
"And all kinds of magic get monitored?" Harry asked. "Basically," Neville answered. "Why?"
"Well when I lived with my relatives weird stuff used to happen to me," Harry told them. "I once just appeared on the roof of my school when I was being chased. At the time I didn't know how it happened, but now I know it had to be magic."
"Now that you say that I remember a time I was able to pull a boom down from a shelf that was too high for me to reach," Hermione added. "But I never touched it I just reached for it and it came to me."
"Exactly, both of those would only be possible with magic, so why didn't we get a letter explaining what it was, or not to do it?" Harry asked.
To that Neville didn't have an answer. Hermione however seemed more intrigued. "It's a good question Harry. Maybe the library has something on it. I plan to go there as soon as I can, from what I heard it has a great selection."
It was dark when the train pulled into Hogsmead station. Exiting the train Harry saw older students making their way over to a bunch of carriages.
He was about to follow them when a loud voice shouted out, "Firs' years this way!"
Looking towards the sound of the voice Harry saw a giant of a man with wild black hair and beard, with beetle black eyes.
Many of the first years looked nervously at the man, but Harry could just discern that underneath the thick beard the man was smiling an innocent smile, and his eyes were warm. Harry couldn't help but think of Bols.
The giant led the first years to a row of lifeboats on the edge of a lake. "No more 'an four in a boat," the man told them.
Harry grabbed a boat with Neville and Hermione, and they were joined by another girl who introduced herself as Susan Bones.
Once all the boats were filled the giant pulled out a pink umbrella and pointed it across the lake. All of a sudden the boats began moving forward, as being pulled by some invisible rope.
The lake seemed quite peaceful, but Harry could swear he saw a giant dark mass moving beneath the water.
"Jus' up ahead yer be seeing it," the giant man called out to all of them. Sure enough in the distance a giant castle loomed over the lake lit up with torches, that cast a warm light over the lake.
Harry was pretty impressed. The castle seemed almost as big as the Imperial Palace.
"Watch yer heads now," the giant said as the boats neared a small cave. The lanterns attached to the front of the boats cast an eerie glow on the side of the caves walls.
At the end of the cave there a small boat house. Climbing out of his own boat, the giant man helped the students out and led them up a long flight of steps towards the castle.
The inside of the castle was just as impressive as the outside. The amount of detail that lined the walls and pillars was amazing. The torches that hung burned bright, but never giving off any smoke.
Standing outside of a pair of large double oak doors was Professor McGonagall herself. Dressed in her usual emerald green robes, with glasses and pointed hat.
"The firs' years Professor," the giant said addressing McGonagall.
"Thank you Hagrid," McGonagall said to the man now known as Hagrid.
Giving a small bow of his head Hagrid slipped through the doors behind McGonagall, careful to block the students view of the inside.
"Good evening," McGonagall addressed the first years. "Tonight you will be called forth to be sorted into your school houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you are here your house will be like your family, do good deeds and you will receive house points, any rule breaking will lose points. Please wait here for a moment."
McGonagall slipped through the same doors Hagrid did, leaving the students alone.
Looking around as the students began to whisper amongst themselves. He saw the pale blonde kid from the robe shop standing next to two large gorilla looking kids. He seemed to be looking for someone.
Meanwhile the redheaded kid was talking to a sandy haired boy, and a dark skinned kid about how his brothers told him they had to wrestle a troll.
The blonde haired kid seemed to have heard that. "A Troll? Are you serious? You must be a Weasley if you believe something that stupid," the blonde said with an arrogant tone.
"Yeah I'm a Weasley," the redhead confirmed. "Who are you then?"
The blonde boy straighten himself, "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." The Weasley boy laughed a bit at the name.
"Oh, you think my name is funny do you? Do you blood traitor?" Malfoy asked clearly annoyed by the laugh.
Weasley's face went as red as his hair from embarrassment, and was about to retort before the door opened and McGonagall came out.
"We're ready for you now," she told the students. McGonagall told them to line up as she once again opened the doors.
The students were greeted by a majestic sight, the doors led into a great hall that housed our long tables packed with students that led up to the long staff table that faced them. The size itself was impressive, but what really made it unforgettable were the thousands of candles that floated above the tables, and the ceiling which looked like it opened up to the night sky.
"It's not really the sky," Hermione whispered to him. "It's just enchanted. I read about it."
McGonagall led them down one of the aisles between the tables, and stopped when she reached a three legged stool that upon which sat an old tattered hat.
Signaling for the students to wait where they were McGonagall went to stand next to the hat, which soon began to sing.
The song basically consisted of talking about the houses and what each of them value most. When the hat concluded its song many of the older students and teachers began clapping.
"When I call your name please come up to be sorted into your house," McGonagall instructed once the applause died down.
A girl named Hannah was called up first. McGonagall lowered the hat onto the girls head, and after a few seconds it shouted Hufflepuff loud enough for the entire hall to hear. The table that had a symbol of a yellow badger clapped to welcome their new member.
Susan Bones, the girl who had ridden the boat with Harry, was also sorted into Hufflepuff. The two girls Harry and Neville had talked to on the train, Tracey and Daphne, were both sorted into Slytherin, Hermione was declared a Ravenclaw, and Neville himself became a Hufflepuff.
When it was time for Malfoy the hat barely grazed the top of his head before putting him into Slytherin. Malfoy wore a cocky smirk as he strutted over to his house as if he owned it.
Finally McGonagall called out Harry's name. the hall went deathly silent. Harry knew he was famous and had been preparing for the moment when people would find out he was this Boy Who Lived, but he still felt nervous as he walked up to the stool. Before the hat was dropped over his head and covering his eyes he caught a glimpse of Neville and Hermione's faces. They both looked utterly stunned.
"Well aren't you a curious one," a voice said inside his head.
What? Harry thought. Who are you?
"Well I'm the Sorting Hat. Who else would I be?"
I thought you just yelled out the house I didn't know you talked to us.
"You're not the first, many a student have been a wary of hearing a voice that's not theirs inside their head. Now let's see where to put you. Hmm not a bad mind, plenty of courage, but not too brash, you're willing to work hard and you're very loyal too, you trust all of your friends back in the Capital I see. I'm curious which house do you find most appealing Mister Potter?"
You're asking me?
"I don't normally do it but anyone who asks I always take their request into consideration."
Well truthfully I don't really care where I go, as long as I can show people that I can succeed without fame.
"Well with that as your goal I believe you would fit best in Hufflepuff!"
The hat was lifted from his head as Harry made his way over to the table Neville sat at which was giving him a loud thunderous round of applause.
Harry also noticed that many of the people at Gryffindor looked pretty put out and disappointed.
Spotting Neville Harry sat down next to him, as the students surrounding him shook his hand and welcomed him to their house.
"So you're really Harry Potter?" Neville asked him.
"Yeah I really am."
"But when we met on the train why didn't you say who you were?"
"Well you remember what I said about him wanting to be treated equally?" Harry asked him. Neville nodded in response.
"That's my reason," Harry said. "I don't want people treating me like a celebrity, I just want to be treated like an average first year."
"That's pretty mature," Neville said.
"I guess so," Harry admitted. "But sorry for not telling you sooner, I just wanted you to know why I didn't. I hope we can still be friends right?"
"Yeah of course," Neville said as he shook Harry's hand.
The sorting ended with Ron Weasley being sorted into Gryffindor, and Blaise Zambini going into Slytherin.
"Now that we have all been sorted I have a few notices to point out," Dumbledore spoke from his seat at the staff table.
"Firstly the Forbidden Forest on the school grounds is off limits to all students, and the corridor on the third floor is restricted to all those who do not wish to die a very painful death," Dumbledore said. "Now let the feast begin."
Suddenly food of all kinds appeared on the tables. There were mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, and meat of all kinds.
If Akame were here Harry had no doubt that every single table would find that they would be short of meat real soon.
After the feast was done the prefects began to usher the students out of the great hall. Turning left they were led to a staircase that upon reaching the top led upwards that contained a multitude of moving staircases. The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were led upwards by their prefects, while the Hufflepuff and Slytherin students were led downwards.
After walking down one flight of stairs the Hufflepuffs turned right, while the Slytherins continued to walk downwards.
The Hufflepuffs passed a large painting of fruit and stopped in front of an empty archway.
The male prefect spoke a password and a door materialized out of thin air. It opened forward and they students filed inside.
The room was very comfortable overall it had a fireplace, overstuffed furniture, and even a crystal chandelier.
"Welcome to the Hufflepuff common room," the male prefect spoke.
"Professor Sprout, our head of house, would normally be here to welcome you all personally, but an emergency with one of the plants came up in the greenhouse and she couldn't make it," the female prefect informed them.
"First year boys your rooms are through the archway to the left and girls on the right. The dorm rooms are labeled by year so it's easy to find," the male told them. "Any questions you can ask Cynthia or myself. I'm Greg by the way."
Harry and Neville headed towards the first year dorms. When they entered they found that all of their stuff had been brought there already.
Harry and Neville both changed and went to bed ready for their first day of classes.