Chapter Seven: The Gryffindors
There were only a few students left to be Sorted. "Mulciber, Gannon" and "Nott, Wyatt" had joined Scorpius over by the Slytherin table. Erin noticed that the rumors about Slytherin did seem to be true; they appeared to be, mostly, a rather unpleasant lot. Albus was called up and Erin crossed her fingers under the table. However, there was no need. Barely a few seconds had passed before the hat declared him Gryffindor and he came over to Nick and Erin with a broad smile plastered on his face.
A few names later, and Erin noticed how hungry she really was. The treats on the train had been eaten hours ago, and although the orphanage had gotten Erin accustomed to eating very little or no food, the few days she had spent at the Leaky Cauldron had reversed all that. Her stomach growled and she looked up to the staff table, urging them to hurry up with the Sorting and start the feast.
There were three first years left standing. Rose looked peaky, and kept glancing toward the table where the three of them sat, as though she was unsure about her choice. Her name was called, and she sat beneath the hat for a while until it shouted out, "RAVENCLAW!" Albus clapped loudly, although Erin could tell he was in a slight shock. Rose popped off the stool and threw Albus a sad smile before joining her new fellow house members.
Next, a particularly squinty eyed and unattractive "Wertang, Maleficent" was Sorted into Slytherin, leaving one girl left. Even though she could not really see her face the last time, Erin could tell this was the girl who had been with Mulciber and the rest when they had thrown Erin out so unceremoniously from the compartment. Professor McGonagall's voice rang out- "Zabini, Charlotte"- and the girl shuffled forward and put on the hat. It took quite a while. Erin could hear her stomach growling now- she stared down at the empty golden plate before her, wishing for food to just magically appear….
"GRYFFINDOR!" Erin looked up, thankful the Sorting had been completed, and saw the girl's eyes widen in surprise at her verdict. She also noticed the whispering at the Slytherin table was confused and loud. The girl did not glance at her Slytherin friends and slumped down a few seats from Erin, sitting silently with her head hanging down. She had brown, almost strawberry colored curls that cascaded down to her shoulders and black eyes that reflected the golden goblet placed before her.
A clanking noise interrupted Erin's thoughts, and she looked up to see Dippet rise from his gold chair at the High Table, where the teachers sat. He smiled at the students sitting at their tables and as he opened his arms wide, Erin couldn't help herself; she squinted her eyes and blinked, and watched at the dazzling blue light of his aura wavered around his body. "Welcome, new students and old!" Dippet's voice rang out, although Erin couldn't help but hear its slight waver. "I welcome you as we begin a new year at Hogwarts. I trust you will enjoy the marvelous feast that has been prepared for us." With that, he flourished his hand and Erin's mouth dropped open. She immediately closed it.
Before her, the dishes that had just a moment ago been sparkling empty were now piled with food; so much, in fact, that Erin had absolutely no idea where to begin. It seemed Nick was having no trouble at all deciding. "Pash de bashon pleesh, Ewin," he mumbled through a mouthful of roast potatoes. Erin grabbed everything she could in sight and piled it on her plate, a look of happy content written all over her face.
"Slow down, guys," Albus said, laughing. Erin cut up her steak and shoved the pieces into her mouth. "The orphanage didn't exactly cook gourmet meals for us each night."
"Oh, are you a muggle-born too?" Michelle Geller, a new Gryffindor, asked. "And I was afraid I'd be the only one! It was quite a shock for me when that letter from Hogwarts came- my mum's a teacher and my dad's an author, and there's nothing magical about them!"
Curt Moller, another first year, laughed. "Well, I got the biggest shock of all. My dad left me when I was a kid, and it turns out my mom just stopped using magic ever since he was gone. So when I got the letter…"
On Erin's other side, Albus was chatting animatedly with a slightly pompous looking ghost, and although Erin was dying (perhaps that was the wrong word) to join in, she suddenly felt shy. Instead, she turned to Nick, who was watching Charlotte.
"Tell your father I send my regards," Charlotte said, her dark eyes flashing.
Nick looked like he was biting his tongue from retorting. He said, "Send your father mine as well."
And then Charlotte turned her head to face Erin. Erin flushed, embarrassed at being caught watching her, and said, "Hi Charlotte, I'm-"
"It's Charlie. And you're Erin Lyths, I know," Charlie said. She fell silent.
A dark skinned girl named Diana Thomas peered across the table. "You're Albus Potter, aren't you?" she asked excitedly. Nick, who was in the midst of spooning in a large chunk of chocolate ice-cream in his mouth rolled his eyes and asked, "So what if he is?" Scarlet Mirth scoffed. "So what? So what? Your father is Harry Potter, isn't he?"
Albus nodded uncomfortably, and Erin couldn't help herself. "Who's Harry Potter? What's the big deal about him being Albus' father?" Scarlet laughed. Erin decided immediately that she didn't like her. "Everyone knows about Harry Potter. He's the only reason my parents and yours" (Erin chewed her tongue) "are still alive. He defeated You-Know-Who nineteen years ago; he's a legend."
Erin glanced, her eyebrows raised, toward Albus, and he folded his arms. "Don't you give me that look," he warned. "My dad and I are completely different people; I want to gain recognition out of my own doings, not something my dad did nearly twenty years ago."
Nick seemed to be about to add something, but Dippet got to his feet again and the entire hall fell silent. "I hope you enjoyed your meal. Before you can retire to your dormitories, there are a few start-of-the-term points I need to make.
"To our new first years: the forest on the grounds is absolutely forbidden to all students. I should hope none of you are foolish enough to break this rule.
"To those of you interested in the house teams: Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term; please contact Madam Hooch or your team captain for more information.
"To all our students: I would like to remind you that under any conditions, all magic is prohibited in the corridors between classes.
"And finally, I would like to welcome Professor Ender, who will be teaching first and second years a new class, Auctorology." The hall clapped politely as young man in robes stood up and observed the students before sitting down once more.
Dippet eyed them impassively. "I presume you are all well fed and exhausted. First years, once again, welcome to Hogwarts! Prefects, please direct them where to go; may all of you have a good night." With that the hall filled with the scraping of chairs as hundreds of students stood up and pushed around to make for the door leading out of the dining area.
Erin found herself lost in a tumble of arms and legs when she heard a boy's voice call out, "First year Gryffindors, follow me to the common room! Gryffindors!" She followed the voice to a tall boy with an upturned nose and pink cheeks. He had a badge with a P on it pinned to his chest. "Follow me!" He smiled at her.
They walked up quite a many number of stairs, moving past the whispering portraits and squealing each time one of the stairs shifted. Eventually they stopped before, as far as Erin could see, a very large portrait hanging on the wall. The boy with the P on his chest explained something about passwords, but Erin wasn't listening. She used this time to find Nick and Albus and stood beside them quietly in the back.
"Dracontis," the prefect said, and the portrait swung forward to let the first years (and the rest of the Gryffindors that had gathered to wait behind them) entrance into the common room. It was a homely place, with several comfortable looking armchairs, and the fire in the grate looked as though it had been burning for hours. "I'm Eric, by the way," the prefect said, pointing to himself. "And this will be your home for the rest of the year. Girls' dormitories are this way-" he indicated to the staircase on the left. "And boys are on the right. I suggest you go up and get yourselves settled tonight- you'll have plenty of time to stay up in the common room during the follow up of the year."
Erin had had no inclination to stay up in the common room anyway, so she accepted Eric's words and bade goodnight to Albus and to Nick, who was still looking glum. She followed four other girls into the dormitory in which she would sleep in for a year, and decided immediately she would like it. It was quite nice, with comfortable looking four-poster beds, and there was enough space to squeeze in at least five more girls if they had to.
There were five girls all together: Michelle Geller, the muggle-born, liked to quietly read Japanese manga in a corner; Diana Thomas was loud and outgoing; Scarlet Mirth, the girl Erin disliked, was very pretty and began to paint her toes as soon as she had settled in; Charlie Zabini, who kept mostly to herself; and of course, Erin. Erin was too exhausted to even attempt to make small talk, but she noticed before sleep overtook her that Charlie had taken the bed beside her.
"…Don't sleep, my child, for you are surrounded by enemies; and when you awake, it will be too late." The voice whispered.