Jack's first thought of Hogwarts was that it was big. An understatement if you asked him, the entrance hall alone could fit ten times the size of his family's apartment complex. It looked better than the ones in his little sister's fairytale picture books. The entire thing was way beyond his imagination; his astonishment could not be contained which was evident by his open jaw.
"It's a lot bigger than I imagined." Hiccup states, looking just as amazed as Jack.
Merida who raised an eyebrow at the two boys, "You going to catch flies in your mouths. Right Rapunzel?" She turned to her left, dumbfounded at the girl who had the same exact expression.
Rapunzel stared at the castle. Her head couldn't grasp the amount of space the entire thing took. She felt a giant smile plastered on her face, her fingers twitching in anticipation. Her life outside her walls was about to begin.
The door swung open. A tall, white haired, and bearded man in red and golden robes stood. On his face was wide grin, wrinkles evident. His hands were gestured in the air, welcoming the students.
"Professor Nicholas St. North," drawled out Professor Bunnymund who magically appeared next to the first years. They were too stunned to feel surprised by his sudden appearance.
"Call me North!" He boomed in a throaty Russian accent. He then gestured the students to enter the hall.
The students followed him, some tripping over onto the carpeted floor. They entered a smaller chamber, separating themselves from the higher years. The first years were packed together in one nervous mess, children whispering onto one another. North stood in front of them, towering over them.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" He bellowed, voice echoing into the room. "The banquet will come shortly, but before that you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony."
"The sorting?" echoed Jack. Was it some sort of hazing for eleven-year-olds, he thought.
"Not the kind you're thinking!" North says to him, surprising Jack. "While you're here, you will be sorted into a house, your family in Hogwarts. You will have classes with them, share living sleeping-quarters, and spend time in the house common room."
"There four houses namely Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has produced great witches and wizards. While you study here, your achievements will not be in vain, in such we have the house cup. You will gain in every accomplishment, and lose in any rule breaking. At the end of every year, the house with the most point will win the house cup. We hope that each and every one of you will be a contributing factor to your house's victory." He ended his speech, smiling in mirth, "I shall return, in the meantime, why don't you gather bearings for the ceremony?" Then left the chamber, leaving a resounding slam.
"How exactly do they sort us?" Jack asked Hiccup.
"I'm not quite sure," Hiccup answered honestly, "In durmstrang, they give you this potion and you get simulated into these different tests."
"That doesn't sound too bad." Jack says.
Hiccup swallows a lump, "Oh, they're bad. Trust me."
Jack started feel his palms getting sweating, wiping it against his robes. He looked around the room, noticing that everyone looked visibly anxious. A number of them were whispering spells under their breaths, and some struggling to recall a couple. Jack felt his stomach drop, he had only taken at least a peek at one book, and he cursed his laziness. He looked to his left, Rapunzel was the only who seemed calm in whole room.
"Hey, Rapunzel, you don't seem nervous at all," He says.
The girl looked at him, a smile slipping in her face, "Of course not. I have completed the Hogwarts curriculum when I was six," pointing towards her head, "You've read the books right?" she asks innocently.
He laughed in a clipped tone, smiling wryly at her, "Of course, I do."
The doors opened, revealing a very bright light and slowly it settled. The young first years were swiftly formed in lines, and Jack felt his back hit something, or rather someone.
"Watch where you're going!" Merida hisses, eyes narrowing when she realized it was Jack. "You again."
Jack felt his own anger bubble up, but instead grinds his teeth together. "You bumped into me," he says.
"Are you an idiot? You clearly bumped into me." She indicts.
"Seriously, what is your—" he started, but snapped his mouth shut as he saw a professor pass by.
"You have dirt on your nose by the way," Merida says, who was thoroughly done with the boy, and decides to go ahead in the line. Her bushy red hair was bouncing in every step as she walked.
Jack rolled his eyes. Huffing indignantly, he wiped the side of his nose.
The line soon started moving, heading exiting the chamber, and entering back across the hall, and entered the Great Hall.
Jack's mouth quickly went slack once again. He had never seen anything so grand and marvelous. There were about thousands of candles that were lit overhead, floating over four very long tables that were decorated with golden platter. Lengthy banners were hung over the large arches, and he recognized the animals from the letter on them.
Jack's eyes flickered above, and his eyes bugged out. A starry night sky was what he saw instead of a ceiling. He had never seen so much stars before. White dots twinkled brightly in the dark, and Jack wondered if the Great Hall was a portal to enter heaven.
He heard someone whisper, "It's bewitched to reflect the sky outside, I read it in Hogwarts, a History."
Jack simply thought that there was a reason why it was called the Great Hall.
Jack then leveled his head, and was greeted by the sight of hundreds of students. He averted his eyes to focus on the North who placed a pointed witch's hat on a stool.
Jack's mind quickly swam with guesses, and when he thought a rabbit would pop out. A huge rip appeared near the brim of the hat. Then it started to sing, which oddly enough didn't surprise Jack.
The hat had stopped singing, and the whole room applauded then grew silent once again. North came up to the platform, and carried a large scroll. With the white beard and red robes, Jack would've thought he would start listing off children who were naughty or nice. The large scroll soon unveiled into a rather lengthy parchment paper that reached on to the floor.
"When I call out your name, you will sit on this stool, and be sorted," He said, "Arendelle, Elsa."
A ghostly pale girl with snowy hair soon stumbled out, and sat on the stool, and hat was put on. Then the hat shouts, "SLYTHERIN!"
The table on the left clapped and cheered as Elsa made her way down at the Slytherin table. He heard the person to his left whisper—
"Slytherin? Nasty lot. Not one wizard who ever went bad wasn't in Slytherin," He said disdainfully, almost in a sneer, "If I get into Slytherin, I'm taking the train back home."
Jack frowned at the comment. They couldn't be that bad… could they?
The next person was called, and declared a Hufflepuff.
"DunBroch, Merida"
He saw a familiar fiery red head come onto the front, hair bouncing, and there was a proud grin on her face. He heard the people whisper all around him like a burning kettle.
"DunBroch?" One said, a boy with shaggy blond hair, "She's the one who survived You-know-who?"
Jack asked the boy next to him, and he looked shocked. "You don't know?"
Jack shook his head. The boy came in close, his eyes trained on her. "She was attacked by the Nightmare King. No one has ever survived his attacks, and if they did, they would be like zombies. Totally unresponsive. " He whispered, as if saying it was taboo. "But, she didn't."
"Who's the Nightmare King?" He asked with great interest.
The boy widened his eyes, and looked almost queasy, "He's the darkest wizard known to the world, and that's all I can say."
Merida stood stiff on the stool, the last thing she saw before the hat was dropped onto her was the look of people craning their head at her. Then all she was the pure darkness. She waited.
Well, so this is the start of the new line of Dunbroch. Why, Very courageous.
Merida almost jumps in surprise. The voice was something she didn't expect. It was loud and clear, almost as if he was standing before her. Was it talking to her in her head?
Yes, I am. Hmm, you don't have a bad mind. You're not that much of a leader, but you have the thirst to prove yourself. Very interesting.
Merida quickly chanted into her mind, NOT SLYTHERIN. Gripping the stool with all her might.
Not slytherin? They can help you achieve greatness. With what is in your head, you could make a fine Slytherin.
"I definitely don't want to be a slimy slytherin!" She thought.
No? Well, I guess that would make you a—
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Merida heard the hat yell, and she smiled brightly at her house. She was immensely relieved that she wasn't in Slytherin, and satisfied with her chosen house. "Dracula, Mavis" was put in
"Gothel, Rapunzel"
The golden blonde girl went up to the platform, her braid trailing behind her. She sat on to the stool, and saw Merida giving her a wave. She smiled at her, before the hat was dropped on to her.
You have a brilliant mind, not what I expected.
Rapunzel is startled by the unusual clear voice that echoed in her mind. She knew that the hat was psychic, but telepathic was something she could have guessed, she was thoroughly impressed. Was it sapient?
Not in that way you understand sapience, perhaps, but I am thinking being.
How curious!
You're quite the odd one are you? You're different than most pureblood lines, more so with your family.
Rapunzel wonders about the level of magic it takes to create a sentient being this complex or what kind of spell could even create sentience? Even magic obeys the laws of conservation of mass, and sentience needs more than just energy to be achieved. Surely something would have to be transfigured into neurons.
Hey, are you listening?
Sapience and self-consciousness without self-governance must be a horrible existence. Rapunzel herself couldn't bare the amount of idleness, and she lived in a high tower in the middle of nowhere. Ennui would get the best of her.
That's not…
Rapunzel starts to pity the Sorting Hat, and then struggles with its identity crisis. The purpose of the Sorting Hat doesn't necessarily equate to personal actualization, perhaps, was it happy being a sorting hat? Did it find fulfillment? Or does fulfillment really matter towards sentience?
This is not the time to—
What if it desires more than its intended purpose? The sorting hat seemed that it could be able convey intelligence, but couldn't have the means to express it.
Right, fine. You know what?
"RAVENCLAW!"
Then there's a silence, followed by a hesitant applause, it's slow and scattered and a bit confused.
Rapunzel saunters over to the Ravenclaw table, and then it hits her, quite belatedly. There hasn't been a non-Slytherin Gothel in history of her house, and wonders if her mother will be angry. She spends the rest of the ceremony distressing over it.
"HADDOCK, HICCUP HORRENDOUS"
Snickers soon flooded the room. Hiccup feels the twinge of the annoyance creep into his forehead. He walks shakily on to it, and drops onto stool, but then he tips over backwards, and soon laughter was heard once again.
"He is quite Horrendous." One student from Slytherin table snorted. Jack glared at the boy, he immediately realized he was being a hypocrite. Feeling guilty, Jack retreated further back into the crowd.
He thought about which house he was sorted in. His father was in Gryffindor, that wouldn't be bad, or a Ravenclaw either. He pondered over being a Slytherin, and ultimately deciding that it wouldn't be so much of a good idea.
Hiccup quickly fixed himself, and then the hat was dropped. He saw darkness. He waits. For several long seconds, nothing happens.
Hiccup doesn't know if something is supposed to happen, and he's about to say that's not working, before he heard a voice.
Another difficult one.
Hiccup thinks the voice just sighed, then wonders about where it's coming from.
Let's see, you have the thirst for knowledge and quick wit that is admired and portrayed by that of a Ravenclaw.
Thanks, he thought.
You lack courage, but it resides in you deeply. Gryffindor could help you unlock repressed bravery. You also possesses the hardworking and loyal nature of a Hufflepuff….Quite difficult.
"Will this take a while?" Hiccup thought grimly
And it took a while, indeed. Jack shuffled his feet as he stared at Hiccup. It had been over five minutes before it finally was finished. He couldn't help but feel curious as to what the Sorting Hat was doing to the poor lad. "HUFFLEPUFF!" The sorting had finally shouted, receiving numerous sighs of relief. He could hear the twins, Ruff and Tuff, yell "Finally, haddock!" while some had stood up from their seats on the floor.
"Hamada, Tadashi!"
"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the Sorting hat, and Tadashi went to take a sit next to Rapunzel.
Hiccup tries to cover his blush as "Hofferson, Astrid!" comes up, and then she was decided to be a Gryffindor. Many others soon became sorted into different houses. Jack had ceased to pay attention towards it until someone pushed him to the front.
"Overland, Jackson. I presume?" asked North, as he looked down on Jack. He nodded his head, and hopped on to the stool. The hat was soon on him, and it rested over his eyes, shielding from the students before him.
You're quite the troublemaker.
Jack heard the voice echo into his mind, and he wondered where it came from.
Plenty of courage, not a bad mind either. There's a great deal to prove yourself, a thirst for adventure, and a will to fight. Gryffindor could help you develop that, but–Oh, what do we have here?
There was a silence, and a moment later the hat spoke up once again.
You are a leader. You possess high potential to be, perhaps, an exceptional leader. You're more mature than you let on, and I can see that with the things you have gone through. You could achieve greatness, success even, and the house that could help you on the way for that path is none other than—
"SLYTHERIN!"
The hat was then pulled off from his head, and there was applause. Jack scampered over to the Slytherin table, sitting next to a fourth year student. He turned towards him, with a smirk.
"Hey, kid." Greeted the older boy, "How you holding up?"
"I feel awesome," He said genuinely, he looked down onto his shirt, and was surprised to see the green and silver stripes of his house on his tie. The last few people were then sorted into their houses, and soon every one was seated. North who stood from his seat, and beamed at the students, his arms wide open, pleased to see them all.
"Welcome all!" He greeted, "Welcome to a new year of Hogwarts, before we begin with the banquet, we shall have a word with our headmaster."
"Wait, he isn't the headmaster?" asked Jack confusedly.
"Deputy headmaster," he said flippantly, "Not like it really matters, he usually does most of the work."
The lights were soon diminished, the candles blown all at once, leaving the glow of the night sky as their source of illumination. The sky was then slowly lowered itself on to them, and the students were all enthralled by the beauty of it. Their shocked faces were enlightened with blue glimmer.
Hiccup slowly poked a star that was before him; it shone brightly from the contact.
Rapunzel studies the formations before her, and she quickly deduces them to be Corona Australis, Sagittarius, and Scorpius.
Merida thinks of the stars as willow wisps, as blue spheres of light float around her.
Jack thinks it's beautiful.
In the middle of it all is the moon, high above their heads. The moon flares slightly as it sends trails of sparkling dust over them, and each of them hear a soft, shallow voice whisper into their ears.
When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light.
Then the lights returned, restoring everything the way before. Jack's mouth watered at the sight of dishes piled with food. He had never seen so much food before in his life, living with a big family and a bare minimum; they couldn't have the dream with so much. He had to blink a few times before piling his plate.
"Kid, have you been starving?" said the Slytherin, as he chewed on some potatoes. "For a tiny guy like you, you sure have an appetite."
"I don't exactly eat like this everyday." Jack said, gulping. "I can't conjure stuff like this."
"Why not, don't your parents know how?" He asked, although Jack noticed a bit of bitterness in it. "Or house elves?"
"My parents aren't wizards," Jack said.
"Woah, there," The boy leaned forward, covering Jack's mouth with his hand. He whispers low enough for just the both of them, "You can't say stuff like that out loud here."
"Why does that matter?" Jack asked, pulling the hand of his face. "I'm a wizard aren't I?"
"Well, you see, our crowd isn't exactly the most accepting to Muggle-borns, a bit sensitive about it." He said, eyebrows rising in each word. "You're lucky I'm telling you this, who knows what would have happen if you told someone else."
"What makes you so special then?" Jack asked with interest, "Since you're so 'accepting'."
The boy laughs, clapping a hand to Jack's back, and Jack had to hold down a grunt from the impact. "That's another story for another time."
Jack frowned.
Merida sipped her cup. The Gryffindors were currently listening to the their resident ghost, Headless Nick. Merida glanced at her barely finished slice of steak, and shuddered from the memory of the Ghost showing his 'trick'.
Soon the food faded away from their plates, and the plates were left sparkling clean. The desserts were delivered, and were placed on top of the plates. As Merida tried to pick up a tart, the talk slowly then drifted to families.
"Speaking of royal families, we have a princess," spoke one Gryffindor on her left, then all eyes on her. Merida narrowed her eyes at all of them, then stuffed the tart into her mouth. "I aim a pwinchwues." She said, bits of the pastry flying from the mouth.
"What was that, red?" asked the blonde girl next to her, musing. She recognized her as Astrid Hofferson.
She swallowed the tart, and says. "I'm not a princess, I'm a warrior."
"A warrior you say, how?"
"I can take you down in five seconds, tops." She said with a grin.
"I doubt that," Astrid said, her eyes glinting with challenge, "I'm from Berk, if you didn't know. I've learned how to fight the moment I learned how to walk."
"Berk, huh? You're long way from home, girly." She said. "If you didn't know, I learned how to shoot an arrow the moment I was born."
Astrid extremely miffed at the last word, and brought her fist down onto the table. Startling the other students, who now were watching them with great interest.
"You and me." She said, positing her arm in a right angle. Merida smiled deviously, and slammed her own fist on to the table, and gripped strongly on to Astrid's hand. The students gasped at the long scar that was evident on Merida's arm. Three giant claw marks were on the pale skin, it had healed, but the tissue was very still damaged beyond being fully repaired.
They all started whispering to one another, "That's where You-know-who…"
"She really does exist." "That looked like it hurt really bad." And some others had moved their seats and craned their head to her.
Astrid glance at it, then returned her gaze on to Merida. "The Girl Who Lived, it's an honor to meet you." She said with mirth.
"Let's get this over with Hofferson," she said irritably.
Hiccup picks on his food despite the grand banquet that was laid out for him, not having the appetite. The boy behind him, who was luckily enough his only friend in Berk, was sorted in Ravenclaw. Fishlegs was a round-faced boy with a mop of blonde hair, and leafy green eyes, and it was always quite a scene for Hiccup was puny compared to him.
"Hic, why aren't you eating?" Fishlegs asks, stuffing a cake into his face. "This stuff is better than the ones in Berk."
"That's cause sugar is a luxury in Berk," He said in a-matter-of-fact way, and picked up container. "These guys have bottles full of them, and I hear there's something called a coffee shop. They have packets, weirdly enough."
"When you start stating facts, there's something wrong." He says.
"That's common knowledge."
"Exactly."
"Okay, I'm thinking about how disappointed my dad is when I send him an owl about not getting in Gryffindor while everyone else is." He said honestly.
"I doubt your dad will be even surprised," Fishlegs said airily, and then winced when Hiccup turned fully to gave him a flat look, "Sorry, but Hiccup, there wasn't any hope for the both of us."
"Hey, the Sorting Hat seriously thought of putting me in Gryffindor." He argued weakly.
Fishlegs chewed while he talked, as Hiccup couldn't quite understand what he was saying. "What?"
Fishlegs swallowed, then says, "I'm happy I'm with my choice, Gyrffindor is a bit intimidating for me anyways, just be happy with what you get."
"Oh gee, it's not like I'm going to spend seven years in it or anything."
Fishlegs sighed, "Complaining will get you nowhere."
"This awfully feels like déjà vu." Hiccup commented. His eyes wandered towards the girl who was two seats away from Fishlegs. He recognized the long blonde braid anywhere.
"Hey Rapunzel." He greeted, it was weird that he didn't feel awkward towards her. He felt comfortable to talk to her, and so he did.
She turned around to face him fully, and smiled brightly, "Hiccup, hi!"
Hiccup felt a smile grace his features from her, "Ravenclaw, can't say I'm surprised."
She giggled, and Hiccup thought it was a bit forced, "Well, here I am."
"Oh, and um, I really liked your idea about electricity available in the wizarding world…It's quite brilliant."
"Well, it's not exactly a giant leap from a normal person's view. Electricity is quite essential to the twenty-first century, I mean the muggle world is getting much more acquainted to technology, and who's to say Wizards can't be too?" She said, but then thought that this was based on from current events, she hasn't exactly ventured out further. "Franklin managed to conjure electricity from a simple kite. It's a shame electricity goes haywire in magical environments…"
Hiccup listened intently with each word she said until the deputy headmaster stood up, and spoke, "Now that you're all fed and watered, I have some things to say,"
"The forest on the grounds are prohibited to all students, no magic should be used between classes in the corridors, Quidditch try-outs will be held in the second week." He said, prepared to leave before he returned.
"I almost forgot! The fourth corridor in the right wing will be prohibited, and for those who do venture will suffer a painful death. That is all, thank you and have a good evening."
The room was silent save for the few had chuckled, albeit some were that of uneasiness.
Jack snorted, "Is he for real? Does he really expect people not to do that?"
The Slytherin boy whipped his to face him, pursing his lips, "I don't know, usually he cites reasons for any restricted areas. It must be pretty serious."
Jack tried to bite back the grin that was forming in his face.
Hiccup furrowed his brows at the last announcement. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He heard students whisper to one another, curiosity burning their minds, and he felt the same compelling force to wander in it.
.
.
.
The Gryffindor prefect, a blue haired boy named Sully, ushered them to the common room. He directed the girls to their dormitories where there were five beds, and their trunks already been brought up. Too tired to walk, Merida fell down onto her bed in ease. Her arm hanging by the edge, fingers were burning from pain.
Astrid sat on the next bed, stretching her body like a cat. She slowly undid her braid. She glanced at Merida's lifeless-like form. Her entire body was sinking down onto the velvety mattress.
"Hey, Red." She shook her shoulder, stirring a grunt from the girl. "You might suffocate."
She heard a sound that indistinctly sounded like 'I don't care.'
Astrid changed into her pajamas. Her wavy blonde hair cascaded down onto her shoulders. "Hey, you think North was joking?"
"Mmmm?" Merida hummed, propping her chin on her arms.
"About the corridor," She said, combing through the tangles. "Seems a bit strange."
"Probably," Merida yawned loudly, She rolled over on her back. "I've been to asking you something."
"What is it?"
"Berk's pretty far," Merida says, "and I know Durmstrang is probably the closest to it. You're pretty tough too."
"Berk is a close knit-community, so pureblood wizards are dwindling." Astrid laughed sardonically, hugging her legs to herself. "Durmstang is for pure-bloods only. Everyone from Berk who comes here is either half or muggles like me."
"That seems a bit unfair."
"Well, I'm happy here." She says, with a smirk. "I don't get to put up with snooty pure-bloods."
Merida chuckled, she could get used to Astrid. "You know, I don't get this blood status thing anyways. I think muggles born with powers have it for a reason."
"You mean fate?" Astrid asks.
Merida thought for a moment, and then stared at the night sky outside the window.
"Yeah."
.
.
.
Dear Mother,
Hogwarts is a great place. I saw the stars and they were so close to me. I could touch them with my fingertips. They remind me of the sky outside my tower.
It really is beautiful.
Hogwarts is everything you described me, but it is still a shock how large the castle is. I hope to explore more of it. The Ravenclaw tower…. sorry, I forgot to mention that, I got sorted in Ravenclaw. It's a rather big shock for you. I'm sorry for not getting into Slytherin like you wanted to, or the members of our family before you. The Sorting hat is a wise being, it is his purpose after all, it possesses sapience…I apologize again, I do not wish to bore you with my useless ramblings, mother. I think Ravenclaw is a good house for me. I have made some friends in the house. They are great. I've beat them in wizarding chess. It was fun.
I also made some friends outside my house. They're a very strange bunch. People I have never thought could exist. They also have a great sense of humor. It's getting late. It's lights off for now. I'll come back for the holidays.
I love you.
Your flower,
Rapunzel
.
.
.
PShhhh, subtle exposition here and there. Pft.
As if I pulled that off. xD
