Chapter Two

"You're sure you don't want to sit with your sister? She should be somewhere toward the front car," the slender woman asked over the high pitched whistle of the Hogwarts train.

Rhys refrained from rolling his eyes as to not provoke his mother. Though she was usually kind and overly concerned for him, it was easy to incite her Auror temperament into scolding him tirelessly.

"I've already settled into a seat, mother. There's no need to worry." By the time he had stored his luggage into the empty cabin and returned, he found that much of the crowd had already cleared the platform, making it easier to think clearly without all the background noise.

She sighed with a weak smile, tossing her long brown hair behind her before adjusting his glasses and pulling him into a tight embrace. "Alright, my love. Good luck and make your father and me proud!" By proud she probably meant being sorted into Ravenclaw. The very thought of it was enough to give him a dull headache.

"I will."

"Don't forget to write!"

"Yes, mother."

"And to change your-"

"MOTHER!" He shouted over her, feeling his cheeks flush as he pulled away from her and turned towards the train.

"I love you, Rhys."

He paused at the door with a soft sigh, unable to stop the small grin on his lips as he replied. "I love you too."

The train went in motion and he waved to her from the small window until she was finally out of sight. There was a slight heaviness that began to weigh on his chest at the thought of being without her, but at the same time he could not help but feel eager for his arrival at Hogwarts. It was the first step to finding out what he wanted to be and whether he had the power to choose what his future held.

A tiny lick on his palm brought his attention down to a groggy rat that began to poke his head out from his pocket, as if reminding him to stay focused. He stroked Ynid's fur gingerly with his index finger as he walked back to his cabin, immediately noticing that two more people occupied the space. He hesitated at the door, not entirely sure how he felt about giving up a bit of privacy for the remainder of the trip, but it was not like he had any other choice.

He slid the door open, studying the faces of an older boy and a girl he recognized instantly.

"Ah! C'est magnifique!" She squealed with excited applause. She had two heart clips on either side of her head which hardly tamed her short burgundy hair that framed the side of her face. "What a coincidence! My lord 'as returned!"

He could not think of a reply right away, mostly due to the fact that he was caught off guard by such a strong French accent. When he had seen her in Diagon Alley with her mother, he hadn't heard her speak enough to notice it the first time. "It's not 'my lord', it's Rhys Elwyn. And you are?"

"Anna Delano!" She answered giddily as she grabbed both of his hands, much to his discomfort. "It must be fate zat 'as brought us togesser again!"

"I-I'm not so sure," he mumbled as he tried to slip his hands out of her grasp only to have it tighten.

"Come wiz us! Sit here! Zhere is still a long way 'til we reach 'ogwartz! We can learn so much more about each 'osser!" Her eyes were still as wide as he remembered, but less unnerving after hearing her speak so earnestly.

Rhys glanced over to the other boy who seemed to be a bit taller than he was. He sat with good posture, staring down at a book in his lap with choppy golden hair falling slightly in the way of his bright blue eyes. "Um, it's nice to meet you—hey! That's my book you're reading!"

The other boy finally looked up, and Rhys realized that his eyes were actually a lot more of an icy blue than he thought. "Well, there were so many potions books sitting around so freely I thought I'd have a glance," he spoke softly, taking care not to raise his voice to match the other's temper. "You look troubled. Have I made you angry?"

"Slightly irritated, maybe," he snapped while snatching the book from his lap. "Do you make it a habit to browse through other people's belongings when they're not around?"

"Only if their carelessness permits," the other boy countered with a smirk.

"Piss off!"

This time, the boy's blue eyes began to swirl as a pale shade of green slowly tinted his hues over.

"H-how do you know how to do that?" Rhys exclaimed suddenly, losing his anger upon the newly discovered trait.

The boy did not seem taken aback but merely shrugged at the question before simply answering, "I've always been able to do this since I was a little kid. It's natural, I suppose."

"That's brilliant!"

"I guess our lord iz quick to anger until somesing interesting piques 'is curiosity!" Anna giggled with a playful poke to his cheek.

"Stop calling me that!" he grumbled. "And stop touching me!"

"You said you were an Elwyn, right?" the blonde interrupted, making the other two fall silent. "It kind of makes sense, then. The way you act sometimes is that of a 'young master' isn't it?"

Rhys raised a suspicious brow, unable to tell if the boy was being sarcastic or just stating the obvious. "Yeah... if you were my servant. Otherwise, I'm just Rhys."

"Ah! But my lord, who would not want to follow a master as cute as you," Anna interjected with a devilish grin that both confused and intimidated the young Elwyn.

"That's not funny," he stated blankly, trying to keep himself from shouting anymore. Getting angry with everyone and fighting everything had not worked out for him thus far, but it was hard to let strangers act so familiarly with him. Perhaps, he needed to change that about him in order to become the person he wished to discover.

"But, my Lord!" the other boy cut in, his eyes now a light hazel. "Using just your name would be a disgrace to your namesake! We should do all we can to prepare you for your sorting into Ravenclaw!"

The mere mention of the house was enough to make his entire body go tense as his eyes turned cold as he glared over at the blonde. Of course, anyone with basic knowledge of the noble Elwyn family would know that family members have been sorted into Ravenclaw for generations, but the timeless tradition was hardly of any console to Rhys, especially when they hadn't even stepped foot on the castle grounds yet.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Linneus Gale, my lord!" he announced with a dramatic bow. "Third year Gryffindor at your service!"

"As much as I appreciate the mockery," Rhys spat sardonically. "I congratulate you on annoying the hell out of me, Linneus. Now, could you shut up for the rest of our journey?"

Linneus stared at him for a moment, his expression unreadable as his eyes changed back to blue. He let out a tired chuckle before daring to reach out and ruffle the first year's dark hair. "You really are like a spoiled prince. But I will do as my master wishes," he proclaimed with a laugh before pulling out his own book and continuing to read.

He knew that he should have felt slightly guilty for being so demanding of anyone, especially someone he knew so little about, but he was not about to stand for their childish hounding when they knew nothing about him as an individual.

"So, a Lord Elwyn, iz it?" Anna pondered aloud, breaking the awkward tension that had settled into the small space. "Zat iz a very important family, no?"

Rhys looked at her skeptically for another moment before decided that she was genuinely confused. "You don't know anything about the Elwyn family, Anna?"

She shook her head with an innocent shrug, seeming to want an explanation. For a moment he felt a sort of weight lift off his shoulders as she continued to show signs of puzzlement. It was the first positive thing he was taking away from the entire train ride.

"For now, just keep it that way," he insisted with a shake of his head, feeling a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "Enchantée, Anna."

"It iz a pleasure, young lord," she replied without missing a beat.

Her smile was too radiant and contagious for them to ignore.

There was a piercing whistle followed by a hiss that was barely enough to stir him, but it wasn't until the spine of a book came down on his head that Rhys jumped to full attention, too dazed to seek out his attacker.

"Young master," Linneus's voice cut into the light hissing. "We're here."

"What?"

The three hurried onto the platform, dragging their luggage to nearby stacks.

"Follow me, now! This way, firs' years!" a deep and gruff voice called over all the noise, making Anna and Rhys look to each other in apprehension. Linneus took a step back with a short wave; it was hard to tell what color his eyes were in the dark. "Good luck to the both of you. I'll be cheering you on the entire way, not matter what house you're sorted into," he said encouragingly with a quick wink to Rhys before turning and walking in the opposite direction.

"Well, 'e waz certainly friendly, no?" Anna commented while putting a slender finger to her chin in thought.

"It could have been worse," Rhys shrugged. He did not want to admit that his parting words actually made him feel somewhat reassured.

They followed the others to the lake which appeared pitch black save for the still reflection of the castle lit up in the distance. It stood so proudly before them that Rhys couldn't help but feel overwhelmed as he practically jumped into a boat with Anna. His body began to shiver with excitement and anticipation. This was the first time he was going to set foot in Hogwarts and tonight he would be sorted into a house, but which?

Before his thoughts could dwell too long on the depressing matter he felt Ynid licking at his left palm while Anna impatiently took hold of his right. At this point, he was not about to shake her off. In fact, it felt kind of nice having someone so at ease next to him.

"CHARLIE!" A shout cut into the stillness of the night, making everyone around them look to one another.

"What do you suppose iz 'appening?" Anna whispered, her eyes still searching for the one who shouted.

Rhys shrugged it off, too preoccupied with his excitement to really care. "Not anything that we should have to worry about."

A few moments later the boats suddenly lurched forward, taking everybody by surprise as they travelled into across the black waters and towards the wonderment that awaited them on shore. Rhys looked to Anna and couldn't keep himself from grinning. As soon as their boat stopped the two sprang to the dock and ran to be one of the first in the group being led to the castle entrance.

After a few parting words from Hagrid, the attention was shifted to a ghastly and withered man name Argus who wordlessly led them up the wide stone staircase. When they reached the tall dark double doors, he finally turned around he seemed to be scowling at everyone along with the wild haired cat that sat at his feet.

"All right," his voice was as strained and raspy as Rhys imagined. "Normally I ain't the one bringing you in, but listen up anyways. This is the first year here at Hogwarts for the lot of you, and before you can sit down and eat, you've got to be Sorted."

"We all know that part." The indignant tone of the speaker, whoever it was, was enough to make Rhys roll his eyes toward the ceiling.

"Well, some of you don't, so I suggest you keep your trap shut and let me finish," Argus spat bitterly. "There are four houses here in Hogwarts, and the lot of you will be Sorted accordingly. You'll be livin' with that house while you stay here, and the better you do here, the more points you can earn for your house towards winning the House Cup at the end of the year. So don't lark about the halls, breakin' rules, or you'll get those points taken back, y'hear?"

Rhys nodded stiffly along with others around him, afraid of possibly irritating the man any further. His voice may have been rough, but there was still an undertone of sincerity that made him seem less threatening. Argus Filch, as Rhys had been told, was the mildly sadistic caretaker who probably meant well. As aged and as worn out as he looked, he hardly seemed intimidating at all.

"As a Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin, you're expected to be good respectable students, and not cause trouble. And as Caretaker, it's my job to watch and make sure you do just that. Now, the ceremony for Sorting will begin shortly, so everyone get in line while I'm gone."

The students shifted nervously and Rhys pulled Anna behind him so she would be close enough for comfort. The night was boiling down to this moment and he could feel the pressure closing in on his body. When Filch reappeared, he opened up the double doors to the main hall, letting a pleasant warmth wash over them as they marched into the room to the sound of applause. His eyes trailed upwards as they walked, taking in the magnificent view of the night sky that floated elegantly above them.

"Young lord, 'zis place iz so beautiful, no?" Anna gasped in astonishment, earning a stiff nod in reply.

Two long rows of tables sat at either side of them as they passed with all the students from the different houses continuing to cheer them on. Rhys caught a glimpse of a golden blonde before briefly hearing "My lord!" being thrown into the various shouts that filled the hall, but it did not bother him as much anymore.

He turned his gaze forward, as they came to a slow halt toward the center of the room, in front of the teachers' table that stretched across the entire hall. His eyes scanned the table slowly, trying to see if he could recall any of them by word of mouth alone. For a moment, he came in contact with an icy stare displaying the young man's own bitter indifference, making Rhys shudder in discomfort before focusing his attention back to the small wooden stool that had been set before them with an aged old hat placed atop it. Rhys knew exactly what he was looking at, but he was not able to comprehend how such a disheveled and tattered thing could be the final decider in the end.

The hat gave a noticeable shudder as it came to life, the brim shifting as it suddenly began to sing. Rhys closed his eyes as he listened to the tale, remembering how his sister would often hum the tune under her breath from time to time. The two sounds in his mind created a wonderful harmony as the hall fell silent to listen. As the song came to an end the festive energy quickly resumed as everyone joined the applause, even the disgruntled Filch and the dark dressed teacher at the table.

"Now, I'll be callin' your names, and you'll come forward, and the hat will sort you into your new house," Filch announced as he held out a long scroll in front of him.

Rhys felt as if he had been holding his breath the entire time. One by one the students went up before the Sorting Hat shout proclaim their house name proudly, but when would it be his turn?

"Arianna Delano."

In that moment he felt the grip on his hand disappear as Anna naturally skipped towards the stool, looking as optimistic as ever. He would have never known that her name was Arianna.

The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, not earning any sort of reaction from her as she waiting patiently.

"Of course it should be," the Sorting Hat began, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Another uproar of applause ensued as she hopped off the stool, catching Rhys's eyes happily as she passed to join her house. For some odd reason he felt disheartened that she was put in Hufflepuff, but he wasn't sure why. Surely his possibilities were just as open as anyone else's, so he could easily end up with her as well. He tried to shake the thoughts from his head; in the end, it seemed he was still waiting expectantly to be Sorted into Ravenclaw...

"Rhys Elwyn."

All the noise seemed to be sucked from the world as the pressure in his ears built. He took each cautious step towards the stool before turning around to stare at all the people who suddenly became faceless in his vision. The Sorting Hat was placed on his head, feeling much lighter than he expected before he jumped as it suddenly spoke up. "Ah! Another Elwyn, I see! Ready to join your sister in Ravenclaw, yes?"

No! His body became overwrought at the thought of it as his stomach pulled into numerous knots.

"No? But it is only natural for an Elwyn to be placed in Ravenclaw! What with your gifts being passed down each generation. It is only natural that Ravenclaw would aid you in your quest!"

I have no gifts! I just want to decide things for myself!

"You cannot deny the talent that lies within you, young Elwyn," the Hat retorted gruffly.

I AM MORE THAN JUST AN ELWYN!

"Right, you are," the Sorting Hat mused aloud before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The answer was so abrupt that he had to take a moment to gather his thoughts before the sound of everything else came back into focus. He was ushered to his table, earning countless pats on the back as he took his seat, still dumbfounded. Rhys looked up at his fellow housemates, sporting crimson and gold which he found to be warmer and more inviting than the blue and bronze he was expected to bear. He caught another glimpse of Linneus who sat a bit farther down from him, but smiled at him approvingly, all the same. The moments after passed by in a state of astonishment, and he was only able to catch a name or two as they were sorted into Gryffindor. Grisham... McCormick... Rowland...

The room became silent once more as the last student joined their house as the woman who sat at the center of all the teachers finally stood up. She was an elegant woman who wore a pointed hat and a long emerald cloak. She had strong eyes that seemed to capture everyone in a mystifying trance.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, first years, and welcome back to the rest of you. For those of you just arriving, I am Professor McGonagall, Headmistress. I'd like to thank Mr. Filch, our Caretaker, for taking care of those of you arriving, as well as Professor Hagrid." After the applause, she continued. "A few announcements before we begin our feast. As the rest of you are well aware, first and foremost, the Forbidden Forest on the edge of the Hogwarts grounds is strictly forbidden to all students, and I caution you all not to test such a rule. Second, we have a new professor this year. Oliver Wood, returning Alumni, will be taking the place of Madam Hooch as our Flying teacher. Welcome back, professor."

Applause roared throughout the hall once more as the tall man dressed in blue robes stood up for a short bow.

"Oliver Wood? As in Puddlemere United Oliver Wood?" Rhys uttered in bewilderment.

"I suppose so," a girl replied with a shrug as she continued to clap.

"I never thought he'd leave the team to be a teacher," he elaborated, still trying to register that a professional Quidditch player would be found teaching at Hogwarts.

"He got injured during the last World Cup," the Grisham boy stated knowingly, "You don't remember that?"

"I thought he was down for the rest of the season, not his career!"

"It's a shame, actually," the blonde boy admitted with a slight frown.

"And third," she continued, "I will remind all first years that you are not permitted to try out for Quidditch teams this year, despite any talents you may possess, however you are welcome to when you return next year." She shot Wood a quick glance, making him avert his gaze while trying to feign innocence. "With that said, let the feast begin!"

Without missing a beat the food appeared before them, decorating the entire table; the look and smell of it all was enough to make Rhys's mouth water. As he began to devour his meal he heard someone mention not being hungry, but how could they pass up something as tantalizing as this? He had heard that the food at Hogwarts was amazing, but he could never have fathomed just how amazing it truly was.

"I'm Rebecca, by the way. Rebecca McCormick," the girl with the reddish blonde hair introduced herself to the Rowland boy as she shook his hand under a bowl of biscuits.

"I'm Finn. And this is Charlie," he returned the gesture as his friend adjusted his oval spectacles.

"Charlie Grisham," the blond said as he shook her hand.

To his surprise her attention suddenly turned to Rhys as she held her hand out to him. He studied her for a moment, not sure of what to make of the gesture before shrugging it off and shaking her hand. "Rhys Elwyn, nice to meet you," he said before taking a gulp of pumpkin juice.

The introductions continued down the table with each person being just as excited to know his name as the next. This continued even as the feast came to an end and Rhys felt so full and over-talked that he could barely move himself. Before Rhys could even open his mouth to mention that he couldn't possibly eat another bite, the feast disappeared in an instant before just as quickly being replaced with dessert.

Rhys looked to Charlie with a smirk that clearly said I will regret it later before he chuckled, "This just gets better and better."