As the train came to a stop, the tiny hallways of the Hogwarts Express filled with students. The tight bodies packed together, making escape from the car unbearably slow. At one point someone shoved themselves between Deryn and Alek, and before she could whip her head around to make sure he was still behind her, Alek was lost in the crowd. Deryn sighed, and decided to blazes with it all. She pushed and shoved to get out, and was making good progress when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Deryn turned to find herself looking at her brother, Jaspart.
"Shoving is rude," he said simply, with a playful smile on his face, "And I thought I told you to stay in my cart."
Deryn shrugged.
"Yours looked full," she said simply, remembering the glares on the faces of Jaspart's Ravenclaw friends.
"It was only the three of us!" Jaspart said, then noticed his sister had disappeared into the mob once more.
After a few more minutes of pushing and shoving, Deryn finally got herself outside and onto the platform. Taking in a big gulp of the fresh night air, she looked around to see what to do next. There was supposed to be a teacher to guide the first years wasn't there?
"First years come with me!"
Deryn flinched at the shrill voice that rang over the platform. Looking up, Deryn saw an old woman standing on a pedestal. A small group of first years had already made their way over to her, and stood huddled together nervously. As Deryn made her way over the woman let her voice loose again, screeching like a cat. There were three boys and two girls assembled here already, none of them seemed to know each other. All had probably done as Deryn had done, abandoning their companions to weave their way out first. Deryn smiled at the nearest boy.
"Quite chaotic, isn't it?" she asked him.
The boy snapped his head up, looking at Deryn as if she had three heads.
"Y-yes I suppose so," he stammered.
Silence fell for a bit. None of the small crowd seemed in the mood for talking.
"My name's Deryn, Deryn Sharp." Deryn offered, sticking her hand out to another boy.
"Like Artemis Sharp?" The boy asked, making Deryn grimace. Why did she always have to throw her last name around?
"Yeah. What's your name?" she asked, feeling like a ninny.
"Fitzroy," the boy said with a smirk, "Robert Fitzroy."
Robert grinned and thumped a smaller boy on the back.
"Eugene Newkirk!" The boy squeaked.
Deryn smiled at the boy.
"Nice to meet you, I suppose."
Again and again the old woman shrieked at the crowd, until the little gathering of six grew into a small mob. Every now and then the woman stooped and counted heads with her wand, then began shrieking again. Slowly the platform cleared, and Deryn began to fidget. What was taking so long? Wasn't everyone here by now? Looking around, Deryn realized with a pang of guilt that the boy she had met on the train was nowhere to be found.
"Why are we waiting up?" Fitzroy said irritably, "Surely there aren't anymore first years around."
The woman looked down at the boy, her eyes narrowed.
"We're missing someone," she hissed, "We cannot proceed until all of the first years are present."
"Well who are we missing?" Fitzroy asked.
Again the woman counted off students with her wand, mouthing names silently. Her eyes narrowed again.
"His Highness seems to have gotten himself lost," She muttered, then stepped down from her pedestal, "You all stay put. No wandering off!"
With that she walked away, and the whispering started up.
"His highness? What does she mean 'His Highness'?"
"Surely she doesn't mean a prince or anything?"
"I think she does. I heard my dad talking about it last week."
"Well it seems a bit off, doesn't it?" Deryn turned to look at Fitzroy, who was propped casually against a brick wall, "All of us waiting here for some muggleborn to show. How does one get lost on a train anyway?"
"Maybe he's not used to being in public," Deryn said, "He is a prince after all."
"And I'd assume in all his princely ways, he'd know its impolite to keep a crowd waiting," Fitzroy shrugged, "That, or he's gawking at something. A mudblood prince is still a mudblood."
A hush fell over the assembled students. Deryn felt a twinge of annoyance on Alek's behalf.
"Maybe he's hurt or something. You'd be a right bumrag with all your talk if he's injured," Deryn said.
The boy shrugged again.
"I suppose." He said, "Why do you care anyway. You're a pureblood, Sharp."
"Aye but that doesn't mean I go around spitting filthy names," Deryn spat.
"What? You mean 'mudblood?' Far less naughty than 'bumrag' if you ask me." Fitzroy leaned forward, a smirk on his face, "And are you sure you're a Sharp? I didn't think Artemis had two sons."
Deryn inhaled sharply, a blush creeping across her face. Ma did warn me, she thought to herself.
"I'm a girl you...bumrag…" she said, an angry tremor in her voice.
The previously silent crowd gasped.
"Oh really?" Fitzroy's eyebrows rose, but his smirk remained, "Well I'm sorry I couldn't tell because you're so-"
At that moment the old woman appeared, dragging a red faced Alek behind her.
"Alright students follow me," she shrieked, marching away from the platform.
Slowly the crowd's attention shifted and followed the woman, last of which was Newkirk who blushed and disappeared into the masses.
Deryn slowed so she could walk beside Alek, who was quietly walking towards the back of the crowd.
"What happened?" she asked, to which the boy turned a deeper shade of red and looked away.
"I…I got my…robe caught in the door…" he said, "With so many people bumping and pushing I got stuck."
"Well its good to see that you aren't injured," Came Fitzroy's voice from ahead, "Miss Sharp here was ever so worried about you."
Deryn blushed again and strode away from Alek. Princes and their lame excuses be damned.
When Deryn saw the dock, her mood drooped lower. Bloody perfect. Students piled apprehensively into the boats, they didn't look too safe, and soon everyone was gliding away from the shore, across the black lake.
Still thoroughly put out, Deryn refused to look up as they neared their destination. She heard the other students with their 'ooh's and 'ah's, but remained sullen for the ride. It was only as she stepped out of the boat did she get a look at the castle. Barking spiders but it was huge. Even obscured by the nearby trees Hogwarts looked massive. Deryn had never seen a castle so big, or a castle at all for that matter. As she followed the crowd towards the entrance, a shiver of nerves went down her spine. She detested fancy places with their fussy design and cavernous ceilings, even the church near her house made her fidgety, but this place was a new kind of grand.
As everyone pooled around the great oak doors leading inside, Deryn saw a man in pale purple robes and what looked like a sleeping cap standing by the door.
"Thank you, Professor Blackwood," he said, then looked to the first years, "And welcome, all of you."
It was the most depressing welcome Deryn had ever heard. She couldn't tell if it was his strange attire or his gloomy voice, but this wizard seemed as dull as wizards could be.
"I'll leave them with you, then," Professor Blackwood said.
The wizard nodded to Blackwood, and his eyes flicked back to the crowd.
"I am Professor Dumbledore, I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year," he announces solemnly. "We are about to enter the great hall. There you will be assigned to your house. Your house will determine your sleeping arrangements, as well as your academic agenda. This way please."
Deryn blinked. She hadn't expected her arrival at Hogwarts to be a show or anything, but when she heard Da and everyone talk about houses, there had been a lot more in the description then that. Trying not to meet the eye of the dull professor, Deryn ambled through the doors into the warm light inside.
This time she gaped with everyone else. The great hall was huge and extravagantly decorated, with golden plates and silverware on each of the four tables, elaborate tapestries hung on the walls, and thousands of candles hovering in the air. The ceiling went on forever, mirroring the starry night sky outside. Every face turned to the group of first years, and more than just a few nervous quivers racked Deryn's frame. Of all the fancy fussy places this had to be the fanciest and the fussiest. Deryn had to fight the urge to grab the hand of the boy next to her.
Professor Dumbledore led them to the front of the hall, where older wizards and witches sat at the teacher's table. There sat a stool with a grubby old hat propped up on it. Deryn tried not to jump when it began to sing.
A thousand years or more ago
When I was newly sewn,
There lived four wizards of renown,
Whose names are still well known:
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers
Thus Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these four founders
Formed their own house, for each
Did value different virtues
In the ones they had to teach.
By Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition.
While still alive they did divide
Their favourites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones
When they were dead and gone?
Twas Gryffindor who found the way,
He whipped me off his head
The founders put some brains in me
So I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your ears,
I've never yet been wrong,
I'll have a look inside your mind
And tell where you belong!
The hall applauded as the hat finished its song, and Professor Dumbledore pulled out a list.
"When I call out your name, please step forward," he said dully, and began with, "Abel, Winston"
Winston trotted nervously up to the stool and sat down. Dumbledore put the hat on his head, and let it slip over the boy's eyes. The great hall remained silent, then finally the hat shrieked: "Slytherin!"
The table to the far left, underneath a silver and green banner, began to clap as the new Slytherin tried not to rush to his table.
Jennifer Addison was called up next, and made a Hufflepuff.
Deryn groaned when Fitzroy became a Ravenclaw, and clapped politely when Newkirk became a Gryffindor.
Midway through the list, Dumbledore cleared his throat, and with a bit more emphasis announced:
"His Serine Highness Prince Alecksander of Hohenberg" The cheering from the previous selection died down as Alek stepped up to the stool.
Everyone waited in silence as the hat was slid onto Alek's head. It seemed to take forever for the hat to yell:
"Gryffindor!"
At this the Gryffindor's went wild, standing up and howling as a bewildered looking Alek made his way to their table. For all her earlier embarrassment, Deryn was sad to see he wasn't in Ravenclaw. It would have been nice to know someone in her house who wasn't a bumrag like Fitzroy.
As more names were called the group of unnamed first years diminished in size, until finally "Sharp, Deryn" was called.
Another hush fell as she sat down on the stool and the hat was plopped onto her head. There was a brief silence, and Deryn nearly fell off the stool when the hat's voice sounded suddenly in her ear.
"You're a tricky one, aren't you?" the hat said, a tone of glee in its scratchy voice. Deryn didn't answer, just bit her lip and waited for the hat to get it over with.
"Yes it would make sense to put you in Ravenclaw wouldn't it, I'd know a mind like this anywhere. Your family is as sharp as thier name. But there's more than just brains here, isn't there?"
A flicker of excitement and dread bounced in Deryn's chest.
"Yes, you might well be the first Sharp who wasn't put in Ravenclaw, might you? Very intimidating to think about, but you don't seem to mind much from what I'm seeing. You like different, it seems."
Suddenly it felt like Deryn had been under this hat for ages. Did it take this long with everyone else?
"Clever enough to be a Ravenclaw, ambitious like a Slytherin, brave as a Gryffindor, with all the loyalty of a Hufflepuff. You're a tricky one you are."
The image of Alek and Newkirk sitting at Gryffindor table shot through Deryn's mind.
"And of course you want to be with your little friends, can't forget that. Always a factor, if not a large one."
Deryn opened her eyes and stared at the blackness of the hat. Was this really alright? Wouldn't her parents be angry? Jaspart wouldn't mind of course, his place on the team would be safe the greedy sod, but Da? And Ma? Wouldn't they be disappointed? What about Gran and all of Ma's sisters? Barking spiders they'd be scandalized!
"Changes have to start somewhere my dear," the hat said, then shrieked:
"Gryffindor!"