The Girl Everybody Forgot
By Raekitty13
Disclaimer: Yeah... I so write for a living. I mean I post a chapter like, what-every month? I am so the responsible, punctual posting JK Rowling :P
Author's Notes: Again, I have to apologize for how late this update is. Thank yous go out to Luna32.
Chapter Seven Sorting and Such
Upon arriving at Hogwarts, everything was simply utter chaos for Kelsey and I. Firstly, we got off the train expecting to be at Hogwarts. Instead, we were surrounded by water on three sides with a large castle off in the distance. The third side was a forest with humongous trees and empty carriages without horses. We were perplexed beyond belief, and my first thought was that we had gotten off at the wrong stop.
The second reason for our confused demeanor consisted of a rather large (and dear god I do mean LARGE) man standing near a cluster of row boats. This man was so tall, he stood halfway up the trees littering the station... And these weren't tiny trees either... They were like rain-forest; been growing for over one hundred years, trees. Not only was he wickedly tall, but he had the wildest hair I have ever laid eyes on. I mean, one look at that head of hair and I regret calling my own hair unruly. It was so tangled and covered almost his whole face! I swear, if he wasn't calling out, "FIRST YEARS THIS WAY!" I would have bet Fred and George all of my Wizarding money that he was either born with his head on backwards or entirely faceless.
That would have been the third thing to complex Kelsey and I to no end; the fact that he was shouting at first years, not the question of whether or not he possessed a face. We had assumed we would be going to school with Oliver, Peter and Franki, but they were headed away from the water and towards the forest.
Oliver looked over his shoulder at me and waved. I was too nervous to even wave back. Oliver must've noticed this because he called something out, but I couldn't decipher what it was he was saying over the loud din of the students emerging from the train. Although he was still facing me, he was instantly swallowed up by the crowd like his message had been.
"FIRST YEARS!"
"So..." Fred remarked.
"This way, then?" George asked, nudging me towards the boats.
I nodded, grabbing Kelsey's hand. "You don't suppose he's half giant, do you?" I whispered to her.
She smiled nervously and replied, "Ya never know..."
"FIRST YEARS GATHER 'ROUND!"
"Hagrid!" The twins cried simultaneously at the hairy man.
The massive head of hair turned our way and smiled. "'Ello, Fred, George. Welcome to Hogwarts!"
"You know him?" I asked in awe.
Fred nodded. "Of course, have you NOT seen our older brothers?"
"There are three of them! All with bright red hair like ours, Cal." George informed me, pointing between his twin and himself.
I smirked. "Right, sorry."
We got in the boats as Hagrid instructed. It took a while for every first year to get into a boat, but Kelsey, Fred, George and Lee Jordan all shared a boat with me and I was glad. I was beginning to wonder which of us would get stuck rowing when the ors started moving on their own. I'll admit it, I was utterly freaked out, causing Fred and George to laugh at me. The magic world was seriously going to take some getting used to.
We passed through a tunnel, veiled by dark, heavy veins. I almost didn't duck my head in time, which of course caused the Twins to laugh more. But I couldn't laugh. I was seized by a fear so powerful, so intense, I couldn't even breath. The cave was pitch black, with only the small lanterns on each of the boats for light. I felt as though I was back in the closet, the lantern light turning into a solid line peeking under the door. The dark fingers of the lake and veins reaching out for me.
Kelsey and Lee Jordan were busy whispering about how they were going to pull off their first prank at Hogwarts. Would they do it before or after the sorting? I heard them talking, but their words meant nothing. I knew where I was wasn't the closet of my childhood, but, as if in two places as once, I watched in horror for the dark, evil bodiless voice to open the closet door and find me, to draw me entirely into the dark forever.
I felt a hand on my arm, but it was as if I was in a different body. I felt it, but I didn't.
"Cali." I heard my name, but it wasn't my name. I didn't know the voice.
"Cali!" But it kept persisting, and then doubled. "CALI!"
I tore my eyes from the line of light and looked up. The sight of their red hair and freckles brought me to the present instantly. Fred and George were both tugging on my arms, trying to get me out of the boat.
"Cali, we're already behind! Come on, Cali... we'll get lost. Everybody else is already in the castle."
"What?" I asked, sounding dazed even to my own ears. Looking around, I realized that, as George had said, everybody else had left the boats. We really were the only ones left standing on the rocks.
After helping me out of the boat, George let go of my arm, where as Fred slipped his grip to my hand. Giving it a tight squeeze he asked, "Everything okay?"
"Yes, you can let go of my hand now," I said only half-heartedly. I knew that if he let go of my hand, I might fall back into a panicked, conscious comma.
"These rocks are slipperier than they look, Cal. I'm not holding onto your hand 'cuz I like you. I'm holding onto your hand 'cuz I like me and, just between you and me, I'm shallow, and I only like myself for my pretty face. So if I fall and bruise it, I might stop liking myself. So bear with me, 'kay?"
"Liar." I remarked, not letting go of his hand, some what glad that he was smart enough to know that I was still suffering, even if I wouldn't admit it.
"Okay, so maybe I like my funny side too, but come on, there is so not anything funny about being injured!" And, as if to prove his point, he almost slipped.
Some how, Fred, George and I made it up to the castle unharmed. And luckily for us, the doors to the castle (as huge as they were) were still open. We slipped in and joined the group unnoticed. A slender woman who carried an air of strictness about her was giving a speech as we approached, and, even though she saw us appear later than the others, she didn't pause in her speech giving.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. 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 honor. 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. Will the three of you who came in late please come forward?" Her speech seemed to have come to its close and now the Twins and I were about to get busted.
Everyone watched as we came forward. I saw heads turning. "You do realize that punctuality is vital to all things here at Hogwarts, do you not?"
I nodded, and saw out of the corner of my eyes the Twins following my lead. "Then I highly suggest you start now," She looked between Fred and I and added, "Meaning you follow all rules, including the ones on PDA."
I looked down at our hands, still interlocked. "No," I said quickly, pulling my hand from Fred's. "It's not what it looks like! We weren't late because we were doing anything like that!"
The woman quirked one eyebrow and demanded, "Then what is it that you were doing?"
"I-I was -"
"I almost fell, and Cali was making sure that I made it safely." Fred remarked.
"I do believe that points should be awarded to her for her heroism," George added. "She could have hurt herself trying to help my brother here get into the castle."
I felt my face flush.
"I'm sure," She remarked, a quizzical look upon her face. "I shall be back soon to retrieve all of you for the Sorting."
I sighed as she disappeared through a door and the chatter of all the other students filled the small chamber for only a moment. "Thanks guys."
"No problem."
"Anytime."
"No, I'm serious," I said. "Thank you, for helping me even though I refused to admit that I needed it."
"Like we said earlier..." George stated flatly. "No problem. We'll be here for you always, mate."
"Yeah." Fred added. "What kind of friends would we be otherwise?"
I felt my heart swell with emotion at their words. I felt like the most special girl in the world at that moment. And then Kelsey appeared at my elbow with Lee Jordan beside her.
"Where were you guys?" She demanded. "PDA? Cali I thought you liked Oliver."
"I DO!" I exclaimed. "I mean... I don't... IT WASN'T PDA! Fred was just there when I needed him... I, the dark..."
Kelsey's eyes widened as she threw her arms around me. "The Dark! Oh, Cali, I'm so sorry! I completely forgot, I was... I was talking to-"
"Lee Jordan?" I asked, smiling. "It's okay."
"So," Lee asked look us each in the face in turn. "Which house do you think you'll to end up in?"
"We're gonna end up in Gryffindor," George stated flat out, pointing between himself and Fred.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"It's in our blood," Fred answered, then whispered in my ear, so nobody else could hear, "So, you're afraid of the dark?"
I nodded for his benefit, and mused out loud, "I wonder, which house is in my blood?"
Kelsey smiled. "I dunno... I'm kinda wonderin' the same thing about me."
"Looks like we'll know in a couple of minutes," Lee stated as the door began to open again. "Let's make a pact, here and now, that no matter which house each of us ends up in, we'll be friends all throughout our schooling. Everybody in?"
We all cheered "Yes!" simultaneously as the same woman before entered again.
"Settle down," Her voice was quiet, yet stern and had the students paying attention as if she had shouted. "The Ceremony is about to begin, line up single file and follow me."
The professor opened the door wider and we all filed out of the room, Fred and George in front of me, Kelsey and Lee Jordan behind me. As we entered, the first thing I noticed were all of the faces, some smiling, some scowling, at us. There were so many of them. Looking at all of them made me feel small and alone.
Some one whistled and I searched for the source, thinking it to be Oliver. Oliver. My eyes swept over the crowd as if they were under a new light. I looked, but I couldn't pick his face out from the hundreds in the Great Hall. I was slowly losing hope of ever seeing his adorable face again when Kelsey poked me in the back.
"Look at the ceiling!"
At her invitation, I looked up and felt as if I were back outside in the dark. It was truly amazing. There were stars painted on the top, almost twinkling. I didn't realize that they were actual stars until a cloud moves across one corner, causing me to gasp.
"It moved!"
Fred heard my exclamation and turned around. "Yeah, it's not real though. Bill told me it's just bewitched to look like the sky."
"So it changes?" I asked in astonishment.
"Yeah, by morning, the ceiling will resemble what ever it looks like outside."
"Even if it's raining?"
"Even if it's raining."
We had reached the front of the Great Hall by the time I had relaid this information to Kelsey. The female teacher had disappeared again, only to reappear with a four legged stool and an old, patched hat. She sat both of which in the very center of the raised lip on the floor, the hat on top of the stool. I stared in wonderment.
What did a hat and a stool have to do with which house we ended up in? I felt the doubt I had experienced at the train station creep back into the pit of my stomach. But it was quickly washed away by my new found belief in magic, and the fact that the hat was now moving. It could have been the lighting of the sky-ceiling, or just my eyes in general. It was getting kind of late, so maybe the random twitching was just all in my head. Yes... that had to be the answer, or so I thought until the a rip in the stitching opened wide like a mouth and a whispery voice emitted from the old pointed wizard's hat sitting on the stool.
"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." The hat was singing. I felt myself swoon slightly before I realized that I didn't know the melody of the song. "You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can top them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
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 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 folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're save in my hands (though I have none)
For I am the Thinking Cap!"
I was amazed, to say the least and found myself applauding the Sorting Hat with the rest of the students in the Great Hall.
I heard someone from the table of scowling youths mutter sourly, "Why is it always the same bloody song? If it were truly a 'Thinking Cap' then why in the name of You-Know-Who, couldn't it come up with something different from time to time?"
"You-Know-Who?" I asked Fred, but before he could answer, the strict woman cut him off.
"When I call your name, come forth and place the Sorting Hat on your head," She was now holding a scroll that, unraveled as it was, reached the floor and then some. "Aalune, Kristine!"
A short girl with brown hair walked forward and placed the hat upon her head. I smiled nervously as the hat slipped over her eyes and remained still. I nearly jumped a mile in the air when it shouted, "RAVENCLAW!"
"Akkies, Melony!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Ashmior, Steffen."
"SLYTHERIN!"
After awhile I stopped paying attention and went back to looking for Oliver. I had little luck, while I had narrowed the Gryffindor table down to the one on the far left, I still couldn't find him. I did get distracted when, as Fred called her, Professor McGonagall called, "Brawning, Kelsey!"
The Hat seemed to take longer than usual before calling out, "RAVENCLAW!"
I realized at that moment that the Ravenclaw table sported Kelsey's favorite color, blue. I also realized that she had ended up in a different house than Oliver was in. I remembered how, in the Bookstore, Oliver had commented that he thought I was going to end up in Ravenclaw because I was so quick with the currency rates. At that moment I felt so torn.
The rest of the names seemed to pass too quickly. "Katz, Cali!" Was I ready to be placed?
I walked forward slowly, sitting down hesitantly. I pulled the Hat on and right before it slipped over my eyes, I saw Oliver. He was leaning forward, brow furrowed in deep concentration as he awaited my placing.
"Ah..." A voice in my ear whispered, making me jump so hard I could have toppled off of the stool. Luckily I didn't. "Do you have a crush on Oliver Wood? No, well, just keep telling yourself that, Cali, and someday, it just might be true. But as for the present, we're here to discuss your future House.
"You've got your closest friend in Ravenclaw, and you're smart too, but Ravenclaw isn't where your heart it. You've been through rough times and you've managed to make it this far. Most people your age wouldn't have lived through what you have.
"You've also got a fear of the dark. One so large that it could swallow you entirely, but, deep within you, is the power to drive that fear away. With the help of Gryffindor, you'll be able to do just that and perhaps unlock your past as well as the heart of Oliver Wood.
"Yes... Gryffindor seems best, GRYFFINDOR!"
As the Hat was pulled off of my head and tried on by the next kid, I walked numbly to the Gryffindor table. Oliver stood up and waved me over. Franki gave me a hug and Peter whistled. Percy nodded at me and the twins were going spastic still standing in line. The only person I could really think about was Kelsey and the pact Lee Jordan had made us swear to only moments before. I hoped, at that moment, will all of my heart that the pact survived.
By the end of the sorting, Fred and George had ended up in Gryffindor like they had claimed, along with Lee Jordan. I noticed him looking over at the Ravenclaw table about as much as I did and I whispered to him, "She'll hold up her end of the pact."
"So will I," He promised.
I smiled and nodded. "Friends forever!"
Fred and George joined in with my cheer, holding up their goblets in Kelsey's direction. "Friends Forever!"
Kelsey smiled and shouted the message back, toasting and empty goblet back at us. I joined in, only to slosh a drink all over Oliver.
My eyes widened as I apologized, telling him that I had thought the goblet was empty. Oliver just shrugged it off and laughed as my eyes widened further. The previously empty table had filled with food magically just as my drinking glass had filled mysteriously with pumpkin juice.
"I love watching your facial expressions when it comes to magic," Oliver muttered, reaching around me to get the bowl of mashed potatoes. "Promise you'll let me show around tomorrow before breakfast?"
"Are you making fun of me?" I demanded, reaching across him for the stake platter.
"Not at all," He answered truthfully.
I nodded slowly. "It's a date."
He smiled too, taking a drink from his glass. "Great."
"I ask of your attention please!" A tall man with the most stunning silver hair I have ever seen stood up, glancing out at us with x-ray blue eyes over half-moon spectacles.
"That's Professor Dumbledore," Oliver whispered for my benefit. "The Headmaster. McGonagall teaches Transfiguration. The big bloke with the wild hair is Hagrid, he's the caretaker the one with greasy hair is Snape and he teaches potions, the short one is Flitwick, he teaches Charms..."
"... Quidditch try outs will start the second week of term, and all students please know that the Forbiden Forest is off limits to all. Enjoy your meal and let this year at Hogwarts be even more amazing than last!"
Author's Notes: I'm sorry for the slow update. Yes, I had McGonagall use the same speech she gave Harry's class. I figure that if the Sorting Hat keeps the same song, then McGonagall probably keeps the same speech. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A review would be amazing, but I understand if I don't get any.