Till Death Do Us Part
Chapter 3 / The Sorting Ceremony
A/N: Hello everyone! Another chapter, finally! I've been meaning to update for ages but school leaves me no time at all to anything anymore. Oh well, I really hope you enjoy this next installment of TDDUP, and thank you to all those who review, it warms my heart :)
Many days had passed and at last it was time to leave for Hogwarts. Bonnie was bubbling with nerves and excitement: she still was unsure if it was all real. But ever since she'd asked her parents, she'd noticed there was magic being used around the house. Like last night, when the dishes washed themselves, or when the food was prepared in ten minutes.
Bonnie had all her books, robes, and other equipment packed up into an old suitcase, Artemis in her arms. She trudged downstairs with her things, grinning at her parents.
"You all packed?" asked Lucian. He had dressed up more than usual for the occasion, wearing his best suit and tie with his briefcase tucked by his side. "We need to start leaving now if we don't want to be late."
"Yeah," responded Bonnie. "I've got everything. Oh, this is so wonderful!" She eagerly followed her parents to the car, bouncing in her seat the whole way. It was a long drive, around five hours, so they made sure to stop for a toilet break when needed. They'd had to leave very early, but it was worth it because finally Bonnie was going somewhere where she belonged.
Once at King's Cross Station, Bonnie, with her dad's help, loaded all her things on a cart and began to make their way to Platform 9 3/4. Bonnie stopped. There was no Platform 9 3/4. Only 9 and 10. How were they going to get onto the Hogwarts Express now?
"I know what you're thinking," said Elaine with a twinkle in her eye. "But it's simple, really. See that wall, that one there? Yes, well, you must run straight towards it."
"What?" Bonnie's eyes widened; this had to be a trick.
"It's easy. I'll go first with your cart," offered Lucian. He took the cart, prepared himself, then ran straight at the wall! Bonnie was sure he was going to make a fool of himself, but it turned out that he had, indeed, disappeared.
"Where did he go?" asked Bonnie, looking to her mum for some kind of explanation.
"Just do what he did and you'll find out," explained Elaine, and she said no more, only waited for Bonnie to go through. So, the young girl took a breath and ran at the wall, sure she'd hurt herself. But then, much to her surprise, she ended up on a platform, a majestic black and crimson steam engine, puffing thick smoke up into the air. Lucian was already unloading her items, so Bonnie went to join him. She got her things ready.
"Thank you, mum, dad," said Bonnie. She wiped her eyes. "I suppose I'll see you at Christmas, then."
"Yes, yes," sniffed Elaine. She blew her nose loudly, causing her daughter to cringe. "Anyway dear, don't forget to write us. We'll write you and then you can send a letter back with our owl."
"Okay." Bonnie jumped when a loud whistle broke the chattering crowd. "I have to go now, but I'll see you soon. I love you both so much." Bonnie hugged her parents tightly, then made her way onto the train, heaving her things into a compartment.
"Here, let me help." A boy ran over, taking her case and hoisting it onto the overhead luggage rack.
"T-thank you," said Bonnie.
The boy smiled at her. "No problem. My name's Joshua Clarke. I'm a prefect. Anyway, if you ever need anything, the other prefects and I are in a separate carriage at the front. We'll always be available to help because, you know, that's kind of what we do."
Bonnie smiled back. "Thank you very much, Joshua. My name's Bonnie, and this is my first time going to Hogwarts."
"Well, I'm sure you'll love it," responded Joshua, winking. "I must be off now, but have a great journey." He left her, waving as he made his way down the train, skirting around students. Once he disappeared from sight, Bonnie sat down with a sigh, Artemis falling asleep as she curled up in her lap. Bonnie had heard that the ride was quite long, and the thought alone tired her. But she was still excited, and that kept her enthusiastic for the time being.
"Hey, Bonnie!" Someone flew into the compartment, case in hand. "It's me, Ellen! What a coincidence!" The train let out a final whistle and they lurched forward, the steam engine picking up momentum.
"It's nice to see you again," said Bonnie politely, stretching out her hand, which Ellen shook. "This is quite a new experience for me. You too, right?"
"Oh yes," gushed Ellen, sitting across from Bonnie and leaving her case on the floor. "You know, I have a sister, two years older than me. She's a Hufflepuff, because she is incredibly nice. I hope I get put there, too. Hufflepuffs are some of the nicest people ever."
"What's a Hufflepuff?" asked Bonnie nervously. It felt like a silly thing to ask, she felt like she ought to know what it was, but she had no idea at all.
Ellen gasped. "What do you mean 'what's a Hufflepuff'? Don't you know about the Hogwarts houses?"
"Um, n-no," stammered Bonnie, feeling like a complete fool.
Ellen rolled her eyes. "Muggle-born, I guess. Most of them don't know about any of this, no offense or anything. I don't discriminate at all, all I'm saying is most Muggle-borns only learn about Hogwarts when they get their letter. Anyway, Hogwarts has four houses: Hufflepuff for the kind, Gryffindor for the brave, Ravenclaw for the wise, and Slytherin for the ambitious."
Bonnie nodded, letting the information sink in. "So you want to be a Hufflepuff."
"Yeah," giggled Ellen, watching as the scenery around them changed from tall skyscrapers to open country. "What about you? Do you have any idea which house you'd like to be in?"
"I honestly don't know," admitted Bonnie. And it was the truth. She had only just learnt about the different houses, there wasn't a chance she would know where she wanted to be.
Their compartment door slid open and a tall girl with crazy brunette curls popped her head in. She was frowning, but let out a small smile when she saw the other girls.
"Hey," said the girl, waving at them. "My name's Mia Levski. Who are you?"
"Ellen," said Ellen. She pointed her thumb at Bonnie. "And that's Bonnie. Are you a first year, too? You're awfully tall."
"I know," sighed Mia, flinging her case into the luggage rack, noticing Ellen's and doing the same for hers. "My mum and dad are both tall so it runs in the family. But yes, I'm a first year."
"Oh, isn't this wonderful?" Ellen laughed, bouncing on her seat. "I just can't wait another moment. You know, I have an older sister, and she says Hogwarts is far better than anything in the Muggle world."
"Yes, my brother said so too," agreed Mia. She pointed out the window, grinning from ear to ear. "Look, it's getting dark! That must mean we're nearly there."
"We should change into our robes," suggested Ellen. Bonnie and Mia agreed, so the girls changed into their Hogwarts uniform. Bonnie instantly loved it. She loved how the black silky cloak rested perfectly on her shoulders. No school uniform she had ever tried came close to Hogwarts robes.
The steam engine began to slow down, rumbling and groaning until coming to a firm halt. They heard someone out in the corridor shouting, "First years this way, follow the prefects please!" Mia, Bonnie and Ellen hurried out of their compartment, following a stout girl with a tight bun, who kept hissing, "Hurry up, now, come on. We can't keep them waiting."
Bonnie's heart rate picked up. "Our cases, we forgot our cases."
"No need to worry," the girl with the tight bun said firmly. "They've been transported."
Bonnie widened her eyes. Magic was everywhere. Ellen shrieked as they came up to a big, inky lake, a few wooden boats bobbing by the shore.
"Alright first yers, get yerselves in the boats and you'll be taken up ter Hogwarts," a huge, burly man boomed. He was about as wide as he was tall, and tall he was indeed, for he appeared to give the girls an impression of a giant. He wore a large coat, his bushy beard tucked into it.
"Come on now, chop chop," ordered the bun girl. Ellen, Bonnie and Mia got into a boat with another first year and watched in awe as the boats rowed by themselves, inching towards the castle. And what a castle it was. Great and imposing, it took its place on a hill, looming up above them. It had majestic towers that reached up into the night sky and illuminated windows that sparkled like stars.
OoOoO
Once they arrived at the castle, they followed a strict and very old lady up some stairs, and then some more, until they arrived in what appeared to be the entrance hall. They stopped before a set of large doors, and the gray-haired woman turned to them.
"First years," said the woman. "My name is Professor McGonagall, and I welcome you all to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Here you will learn the magic that each of you has inside and how to harness it and use it properly. So if you'll all please follow me we shall enter the Great Hall together. Alright, ready? Good." She swished her hand in the air and the doors opened, revealing the greatest sight Bonnie had ever seen.
Four long tables occupied the main part of the room, hundreds of students at each one. The tables were laid with gold plates, cutlery and goblets, all glittering under the light that came from the floating candles. At the far end of the room, on a raised platform, was another table, where, what Bonnie assumed were the professors, sat.
The first years shuffled along behind McGonagall, all conscious of the stares from the other students. They stopped, making a long line. McGonagall walked up to the raised podium and clapped her hands twice for silence. The room instantly became quiet.
"Good evening, students," said McGonagall. "I would like to start off by saying that I expect you all to be kind and welcoming to our new first years. And also I hope that you will behave yourselves and work hard. Remember, you can be expelled. On that note, the sorting shall begin."
Bonnie was sweating. Either her cloak was too warm, or she was nervous about the prospect of being expelled from Hogwarts. She didn't want to leave the only place she felt at home.
"Come as I call you," announced McGonagall. "Abrahams, Harriet." A small, ginger girl hesitantly made her way up, sitting on a stool as a hat was placed on her head. She sat there for a few moments before the hat yelled out, "Hufflepuff!" One of the tables exploded into applause as Harriet beamed and ran over to join them.
This process continued for a while, first years trembling as they went up the stool, then smiling as they went to join their house.
"Levski, Mia." Mia turned pale, ignoring Ellen's attempted smile of encouragement and trudging up to McGonagall. The hat was placed on her head, and after what felt like an eternity for Mia — but was in fact less than a minute — the hat shouted, "Ravenclaw!" Mia sighed with relief.
Some time later Ellen was called up, and so she bounded forward, every step confident and assured. But inside she was worried. She had to get into Hufflepuff. And the hat announced she was..."Hufflepuff!" Huge cheers erupted and Bonnie watched as Ellen ran over and hugged another girl who also had pink hair, most likely Ellen's sister.
After what felt like an eternity, Bonnie looked around to see that she was one of the few people left.
"Ward, Bonnie." Bonnie, trembling like a leaf, sat on the stool. She looked out at the sea of faces, all staring and expectant. And then they were gone, for the hat had slipped over her eyes.
"Hmmm," muttered the hat. It had a deep voice, one that felt old and important. "You are an interesting girl, Bonnie. I sense no bravery, no cunning thoughts. Now where to put you."
"Please put me somewhere," whispered Bonnie.
"Of course I will," said the hat. "You're here for a reason. You're magical. Now it's just about where you belong. Perhaps..."
"What?" asked Bonnie curiously.
"Well, I suppose it ought to be...RAVENCLAW!" Bonnie felt so relived it was like she was made up of air. All her fears suddenly left, because she did belong. She had been sorted. She joined her table, admiring how the others all had blue trimming on their robes and an embroidered crest featuring an eagle on front.
"Bonnie!" exclaimed Mia. She sat herself next to her friend, grinning. "It's this splendid? Shame Ellen got sorted into Hufflepuff, otherwise we all would've been together."
Bonnie nodded, but when she looked over and saw how happy Ellen was with the Hufflepuffs, how well she belonged with them, Bonnie felt a strong happiness.
"Ahem." An old woman with graying hair and big eyes stepped forward. "I am so glad to see so many happy faces among us. I am sure that you will all find it quite delightful here. I am Headmistress Withertop, and it is my utmost pleasure to begin another year with you all."
There was lots of cheering, mainly from the house with the red lining on their robes, which Bonnie had forgotten the name of.
"But I shall stop now," continued headmistress Withertop. "Enjoy the feast!"
The platters before them that had once been empty now proudly served roast meats, golden crispy potatoes, juicy carrots, and many more different vegetables.
"Oh, man," muttered Mia, her eyes lighting up. "This looks delicious!" They dug in, piling their plates high with food, desperate to try some of everything there was.
"Bonnie!" The young girl turned at the sound of her name and saw Joshua waving at her from a few seats down. "I had a feeling you'd be in Ravenclaw."
"Hi, Joshua," replied Bonnie. "I didn't realize you were in this house as well."
"I am." Joshua smiled. "I hope you enjoy every moment here." He turned away, laughing at something one of his friends said and gesturing wildly with his hands.
"Who's he?" asked Mia through a mouthful of potato and chicken.
"A prefect," explained Bonnie. "I met him on the train. He helped me with my case."
OoOoO
At last it was time for sleep, and with a few final words from the headmistress — namely: be careful of the moving stairs, no wandering around at night, and so forth — the students followed their prefects to their dormitories. The Ravenclaw happened to be located in a tower. When they arrived, a suit of armor came alive and turned to them, asking, "You are in a car. You can only have one other person in there with you: an elderly woman who requires medical attention, your life-long best friend, or your soulmate. Who do you take with you?"
A burly boy with messy hair and a toothy smile took a step forward and answered, as if it was the most simplest thing in the world, with, "I would let my best friend drive the elderly woman to a hospital and wait for the next bus with my soulmate." The boy glanced at Bonnie and Mia. "New security system, this is. They installed it last year after the common room was invaded by rowdy Gryffindors."
The suit of armor returned to being immobile, and allowed them to pass through a portrait into a cosy common room, the walls lined with shelves upon shelves of books.
"Listen up everyone," said the burly boy. "You'll go to your dormitories now and have a prompt wake up at seven. Girls up to the left and boys up to the right. No boys in the girls dormitories, no girls in the boys dormitories. Am I clear? Good, now off to bed you lot."
Mia and Bonnie made their way with the rest of the girls up to their rooms, which Bonnie paid barely any attention to as she changed into her pajamas and curled up on her bed.
"Today was the best day of my whole life," whispered Bonnie.
"Me too." Mia yawned.
"I was thinking—Mia, are you awake?" No response. "Goodnight, Mia." And with that, Bonnie closed her eyes and fell right asleep.