Good gods, this chapter was a monster. It's not too much longer than normal but it was a pain to write. The goods news the fun stuff is starting! Not that everything isn't fun but now that we are at Hogwarts proper more of the crew get to show up and the plot moves on. Like ya'll don't understand how excited I am for 3rd year okay? Soooo much happens third year, but that's a long ways off. Next chapter SBS will answer questions! Ask 'em if you got 'em!
Nami didn't get the chance to ask Luffy what he had meant because the large man returned with a tall thin woman dressed in a deep green cloak. To Nami the woman looked incredibly fierce but Luffy, who had resumed bouncing in place, didn't seem to notice.
"Settle down," The woman said, the group of children settling almost immediately. "Welcome to Hogwarts, I am Professor McGonagall. 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."
Nami nodded to himself, already aware of this knowledge. When he had received his Hogwarts letter the youngest Weasley boy had asked all of his brothers about what to expect at Hogwarts. Overall, Bill and the twins had been the most helpful, but they had all been strangely quiet on one issue.
"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," Professor McGonagall said. "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
Nami saw the older woman eye a few of his soon to be classmates when she said the last line.
"I will return shortly to get you," the woman said slipping out of the room.
"H-how exactly are they going to sort us?" Nami heard a voice from the crowd ask.
Nami grimaced only his brother Fred had been willing to say anything about the sorting. "Some sort of test, I think," Nami said loud enough to answer the question. To Luffy, quieter, he muttered, "Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."
Luffy nodded determinedly and Nami felt almost instantly better. New life or not, if it were something really terrible, Luffy could handle it. "Naaami when's dinner?" Luffy demanded the thought of a test not enough distract the boy from the thought of food.
Nami rolled his eyes and pulled a pasty from his pocket. The redhead quickly unwrapped it and stuffed it in his captain's mouth. "After the sorting! Just wait!"
The bossy girl, Hermione from the train, shook her head at Luffy and Nami's antics.
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned and was waiting impatiently for the crowd of children to do as she bid.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."
Luffy and Nami joined the line, and slowly filed through the tall wooden doors. The pirate's gasped the room was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets.
At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, ghosts shone misty silver. Luffy in his gaping let his gaze go upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.
"It's an exact replica of the night sky," Nami said softly, his own eyes trained upward.
The first years came to a stop just shy of a raised portion of the floor between the massive tables filled with children. Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.
"Why's there a dirty old hat?" Luffy whispered loudly to Nami who shrugged.
Before the redhead could answer out loud the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth—and the hat began to sing.
Luffy and Nami's jaws dropped low. The hat's song wasn't very long but it was very memorable even for two pirates who done and seen so much.
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
"Mystery hat!" Luffy whispered, loudly again, to Nami.
"So we've just got to try on a hat," Nami said ignoring his captain. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about fighting a troll."
"Awww," Luffy whined. "I want to fight a troll, it sounds like fun!"
"No way!" Nami hissed back giving his captain a shove. "Now pay attention!"
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.
Nami and Luffy wait and watched as the professor called students out of the group alphabetically starting with Abbott, Hannah who became the first Hufflepuff.
It took a long time before McGonagall called out a familiar name but Nami and Luffy both perked up when "Granger, Hermione!" was shouted.
Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat called.
Luffy and Nami watched the frizzy haired girl joined the cheering red and gold table.
A boy named Neville Longbottom was the next name that caught Luffy's attention. Nami watched his captain curiously as Luffy cheered loudly when Neville ended up in Gryffindor. "Is he one of us?" Nami asked Luffy just loud enough to be heard over the applause.
Luffy just grinned and watched Draco Malfoy get placed in Slytherin.
More children were called forward and sorted and finally, "Potter, Harry!"
Nami gave Luffy a sharp shove forward and the former rubber boy practically bounced up to the four legged stool and took a seat.
Luffy grinned widely as the hat fell over his eyes and waited.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "This is interesting…"
"Mystery hat!" Luffy said to himself.
"Yes, I suppose I am a mystery hat," the voice agreed. "And you are quite the mystery yourself Harry Potter, or should I say Monkey D. Luffy?"
Luffy jerked in surprise, how did the hat know?
"It's all here in your head," the hat said. "I can see everything, it's how I place you."
So cool! Luffy thought to the hat catching on that he need not speak aloud.
"Yes, it is quite 'cool' isn't it?" The hat agreed. "Now, where to put you? Plenty of courage, I see. There's talent, ah my goodness, yes—and such ambition, now that's interesting… So where shall I put you?"
I want to be with my friends, Luffy thought. I want to be with my crew.
"I see," said the hat. "Well, then better be GRYFFINDOR!"
The great hall erupted in cheers. Luffy pulled the hat off and cheerfully handed it off to McGonagall and bounced over to the Gryffindor table. One of Nami's brothers stood and shook Luffy's hand and the twins chanted "We got Potter!"
Luffy slipped into a seat on the bench and waited for Nami. As the sorting continued Luffy's eyes drifted to the table full of the professors, some old guy with a long beard smiled at Luffy but the green-eyed captain didn't stare at the old guy for very long, he was looking for Brook. There on the end next was Luffy's musician. Luffy waved at Brook, his signature smile stretched across his face. Brook looking happier than Luffy had seen him in a long time waved back.
"Weasley, Ron!"
Luffy and Nami's brother's watched, and cheered loudly when the hat declared "Gryffindor!"
"The stupid hat almost put me in Slytherin!" Nami whispered to Luffy after the redhead had been welcomed to the table by his brothers. "Kept talking about me being sneaky, sly and ambitious. Slytherin? My mother would have a fit!"
Luffy, thankfully, didn't get to respond as the sorting wrapped up finishing with "Zabini, Blaise" who became the last Slytherin.
As the last of the cheering died down the old man with the silver beard stood.
"Who is the old guy?" Luffy asked loudly.
"That's Dumbledore, you idiot, remember the chocolate frog card?" Nami asked rolling his eyes.
"Nope!" Luffy declared cheerfully.
"Welcome," he said beaming at the students, his arms opened wide as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you."
"Shishishishi, what a weird guy!" Luffy said laughing but soon the laughter turned to surprise. The empty table was now piled with food. Luffy drooled as he eyed all the food on the was so much meat: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon, and steak.
With practiced ease Luffy attacked. The black haired boy piled piece after piece of meat onto his plate and then into his mouth.
Nami filled his own plate easily dodging Luffy's grabbing hands but the other Weasley's watched in shock.
"I can't look away," one of the twins muttered watching Luffy scarf down six sausages at once.
"Where does it all go?" the other twin asked eyeing Luffy's small frame.
Percy just grimaced at the disgusting sight. Nami half wanted to warn them of Luffy's wandering hands, even without his rubber powers the boy still managed to steal from other people's plates, but it took a lot of work to defend his own plate and Nami wasn't about to risk Luffy taking advantage of Nami looking away for a moment.
Dinner winded down slowly, after an interesting conversation with a ghost the conversation turned to families which Luffy ignored in favor of dessert. Finally after all of the plates surrounding Luffy were empty the pirate belched loudly and patted his stomach happily. "Not as good as Sanji's food but it was yummy."
Nami nodded in agreement and yawned sleepily.
"Oh! Oh! Nami!" Luffy said giving his navigator a small shove. "Look up there past the greasy guy, it's Brook!"
Nami shot upright, having slumped onto the table, and scanned the table before breaking out into a wide smile. The redhead waved happily at the tall, thin 'man' who waved back in shock, no doubt recognizing someone from the crew even if he didn't realize who Nami was just yet.
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.
"Ahem—just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start of term notices to give you," the Professor said. "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."
Nami elbowed Luffy in the side when the boy began bouncing in his seat.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch," Dumbledore's voice turned stern. "And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
Luffy laughed and turned to Nami who shook his head. "Nope, not going to happen!" Nami declared.
"But what if there is treasure?" Luffy asked.
Nami's eyes practically sparkled. "We can go tonight!" He said maniacally.
"You will not!" Percy hissed catching the conversation. Nami carelessly waved his older brother off and Dumbledore spoke again.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Luffy grinned happily and didn't notice that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. "Professor Brook?"
Brook stood, several feet taller than Dumbledore and gave a low bow to the student body. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words letting the students read them as they sung.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Brook, "and off we go!"
Luffy, never one to miss a chance to sing, eagerly jumped in using a very familiar tune. Nami who smiled happily when she recognized it joined his captain. The two Gryffindor Strawhats finished the same time as Brook who has also used the Binks' Sake tune.
Once everyone had finished Brook bowed again and Dumbledore stood. "Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
Percy and the other prefects herded the students together, taking extra care of the new first years and led them from the Great Hall. Luffy and Nami stay back a few minutes to wave furiously at Brook who waved back.
Luffy oohed and awwed at everything along the way to the common room. The moving portraits, stairs and all the little twists and turns to get there made the pirate captain beam with excitement. There was so much to see in the mystery castle. Nami carefully mapped out the route in his head knowing that Luffy would get lost the moment he tried to wander around by himself. Nami took a moment to hope that Zoro would have a better sense of direction in this life, because if left alone Zoro would get lost and starve to death.
"Here we are," Percy said after a run in with a mischievous poltergeist
At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she said.
"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.
Luffy eyed the squashy chairs but Percy skillfully ushered the children to their dorms. Luffy and Nami climbed the stairs with the other boys and found their beds: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up and as the other three began pulling on their night clothes Luffy noticed a handwritten note on his bed. Curiously he picked it up and skimmed the words.
After everyone is asleep meet me by the common room door.
-Brook
Luffy shoved the letter at Nami who nodded and the two pretended to get ready for bed and crawled into their four poster beds. It didn't take long for the other three to drift off to dreamland and before long Luffy and Nami quietly crept from their room and down the stairs.
The common room was almost empty, none of Nami's brothers were around and the upper years that were there were all engrossed in their own conversation and didn't notice the two first years slipping from the room.