Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, I'm just borrowing them, and no profit is gained.
They were pushed and shoved, but somehow the four of them managed to stick together. "We take the boats, not the carriages," Fred whispered in her ear.
Dell wasn't really sure what boats he meant, but just then she heard a voice saying, "Firs' yea' o'er 'ere, o'er 'ere firs' yea'!" A lantern swung around revealing a large man – twice the size of any person she'd ever seen before. Dell's eyes opened wide, and she huddled a little closer to the three guys she walked with. But they just smiled and walked towards him, dragging her along with them.
"Hey there Hagrid!" James called out, waving to the man.
"Ah, there ya three are," Hagrid said, a grin splitting across his face, "And who's this ya got with you?" He asked, peering at Dell.
"This is Dell," James said, "Dell Dursley."
"Dursley, you say," Hagrid said clearly taken aback. This brought a smile to Dell's face, and she stood up straighter, nodding. "Who woulda guessed? Hmm," Then Hagrid waved them all over to the boats. "Four to a boat, and let 'em do the work, ya 'ear!" He yelled out, taking one to himself.
Dell, Fred, Tyler and James took a boat together and it took off. As Hagrid had said, the boat rowed it. The water was smooth and black, nothing but the boats disturbing it. Dell watched it, putting her hand over the glassy water. Then, as they turned a corner, she looked up to see the castle of Hogwarts. Her mouth dropped open into an 'O'. Hogwarts was an actual castle – she hadn't truly believed that when she had been told – and it was beautiful in the night with its windows aglow.
The boats hit rocky land as they stopped. Everybody got out carefully, making their way up onto smooth grass and up stone steps until Hagrid reached a big wooden door where he knocked twice. Everybody waited, their breaths held. The door opened to reveal a man.
"Ah, Hagrid, right on time, I'll take them from here." The man said. He walked into a large hall, and Dell saw large stairs leading up to one side, and two huge doors where much noise was coming out so everybody seemed to be in. Instead of being taken in there, though, they were lead off to a small chamber right beside it, where they crowded into. The man cleared his throat and spoke once more.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," The man said, whom Fred and James seemed to recognize. "The start-of-term banquet is about to begin, but before it does you have to be sorted into your houses. There are four houses – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, Each house has a head – I, Professor Longbottom, am the head of Gryffindor, Professor Flitwick is the head of Ravenclaw, Professor Lynn the head of Hufflepuff and Professor Warren the head of Slytherin. While at Hogwarts you triumphs will earn you house points, while your rule breaking," Here his eyes rested on Fred and James, "Will lose them. At the end of each year the house with the most points will earn the house cup. Throughout the year you will sleep in your house dormitories, attend classes with your house, and spend spare time in your house common rooms."
"In a few minutes the sorting ceremony will begin. Wait here and I'll come and get you when we are ready for you." With that said Professor Longbottom left the room, leaving them alone. Talk broke out everywhere.
"What do they do for the sorting ceremony?" Dell asked a bit nervous, twirling her wand in her hand. She hadn't excepted to do magic so fast.
"I don't know. Nobody would ever tell us, but they said it wasn't anything big, real easy. Vic and Luce would always try and tell us it was real hard – only time they'd ever get along – Dom would sometimes join in. Teddy, he'd always say ignore them, and Dom would always tell us later it was nothing really, all we'd really have to do is sit there. But they followed the adults lead and didn't tell us, like they are going to make us not tell when it comes for the next ones to get in." Fred rambled on, his eyes flashing here and there. Even James looked a bit nervous, though he was hiding it well. Tyler was beside himself, and Dell had lost feeling in her arm he was grabbing it so hard. He no longer seemed so certain he was going to end up in Gryffindor.
"Come on," Professor Longbottom said, waving them along. They followed him, staying tight together. They left the room and entered the room where everybody else was gathered in. The noise level dropped a considerable amount. Dell looked up at the ceiling as soon as she entered, remembering what she had seen when she had skimmed through her Hogwarts history book. Yes, the enchanted ceiling was as amazing as it seemed, it looked like there was no roof to begin with.
But as they stopped at the front of the hall it wasn't the ceiling or tables she was looking at. No, it was the stool, which Professor Longbottom placed upon a ragged old patched up hat. She wasn't the only one staring at it, either. No, everybody was staring at it, as though waiting for it. Then, the rip open like a mouth, and the hat began to sing.
"Oh, you may think I'm just a hat
But there you are wrong
I can read your every thought,
I know your every right and wrong
So place me upon your head
And I'll find where you belong
You might belong in Gryffindor
Where bravery is known
Daring, nerve, and chivalry are often seen;
Or maybe it's to wise old Ravenclaw with you
Where those of wit and learning can always be found
Or how about loyal Hufflepuff
Where they are unafraid of toil
Or perhaps in cunning Slytherin
Is where you'll meet your ends?
Those folks use any means to meet their ends
But wherever you end up always remember this:
It does not matter what makes you different
It does not make you friend or foe
It only makes you more alike."
With that, the song ended and the hat fell silent. The hall burst into applause, and the hat bowed to each of the house tables in turn before it moved no more.
"All we've got to do is try on a hat!" Fred said excitedly, looking a bit more relaxed. Tyler seemed a bit less nervous too, as his death grip on her arm had loosened a bit, though he was still gripping it. At least the blood could move freely.
Now Professor Longbottom stepped forward holding a scroll. Clearing his throat, he said, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool." OK, the death grip was back. He once more didn't seem so certain what house he was going to be in, unlike James and Fred. Dell gave Tyler a look but he didn't notice her. The names were going in alphabetical order, which meant Dell would be soon. Her heat began to beat ten times as fast. She had no idea what house she was going to be in.
"Dursley, Adelle," Longbottom called out. He needed a second look at the name, and a few teachers had raised eyebrows. Nice. Dell went to go up until she realized that Tyler still had a death grip on her arm.
"Tyler," She hissed under her breath. James and Fred looked at her and had to cover their mouths to stop themselves from giggling. Tyler let go, looking down in embarrassment, and a few people who had seen the exchange giggled. Professor Longbottom was looking around for her so she hurried up.
Giving him an apologetic look, Dell sat down on the stool and placed the hat on her head. 'Ahhh' The hat whispered in her ear. 'Very interesting. Yes, never thought I'd see one from your side of the family. Well, you've got much in your head, nothing it seems like your father, unless your father has changed since I saw into Harry Potters head. Yes, but it's very easy to see where to place you, no doubt about it.' And with that the hat yelled out –
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Dell smiled as she jumped off the stool and headed over to the Gryffindor table. She looked back at James, Tyler and Fred, and they were giving her the thumbs up, which she gave back, and James was mouthing something to her. She squinted at him, trying to read what his lips. Then she understood what he was saying as he was pointing to. He was saying 'sit by Teddy'. She smiled and nodded to say she understood.
Dell reached the Gryffindor table as the clapping died down, and as James had said, she sat across from Teddy. Teddy smiled at Dell, and Dell smiled back. If there was one thing Dell wasn't, it was shy.
Turning back to the sorting Dell soon heard 'Finnigan, Tyler'. She listened intently. It seemed as though James and Fred had been able to calm his nerves down since he'd let her go (she was still getting the feeling back in her arm) but he had had nothing to worry about, he was immediately sorted into Gryffindor. Dell clapped as Tyler plopped down in the seat beside her.
"See, you made me lose the feeling in my arm for nothing," Dell said as Tyler's face went red in embarrassment at the memory. Teddy burst out laughing.
"So that's why it took you so long," Teddy said, and Dell nodded.
They waited a long while until 'Potter, James' was called up. A lot of whispering broke out over this name. He was, after all, the first child of Harry Potter to arrive at the school. James was taking in the whispering and walked up to the stool looking full of himself. Professor Longbottom just rolled his eyes. The hat had barely touched his head when it yelled out "GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table burst into loud applause, the loudest yet, but a yell could still be heard above it, "Big surprise!" Nobody knew who said it, but James just smirked as he slid into the spot next to Teddy and across from Dell.
"Three down, one to go," James said.
"Well, there's no doubt the troublesome two are going to get in." Dominique said leaning in, for she wasn't sitting too far away. Lucy, sitting beside Dominique nodded.
Only a handful of people were left when the name 'Weasley, Fred' was called. This wasn't big since three Weasley's were already at the school. The three of them waited, sitting forward in their seats, breaths held. But they didn't have to worry about anything; the hat had barely touched his head when it yelled out 'GRYFFINDOR' just like James. He slid into the seat beside James, a smile on his face.
They sorted the rest of the people quickly, then Professor McGonagall stood up. "Enjoy the feast," She said, obviously planning on making the speech after the feast. And suddenly the food appeared on the plates before their very eyes.
"Get used to it," Tyler said in response to Dell's shocked expression while getting some food. "Stuff like this happens all the time." Dell smiled at that as she started to gather food onto her plate. She could get used to this. Oh yes, she could get used to this.
Edited 2020-02-15