Hi guys! So for those of you following me, you might have noticed I put up a new story. It's about other students at Hogwarts when Harry was there - I hope some of you read it and post a review once I have another chapter up.
About writing though… I have SO MANY Ideas that I want to write about, but I know If I just start them just like that, I'll probably end up quitting after the first two chapters, so I made myself some rules preventing me from publishing random ideas that never finish. They're on my page, if anyone else has this problem too.
Anyway, thanks for reading about my writing problems. It's probably a good thing I have these rules, or I would have about 10 stories going on at the same time.
Lisa Cooper and anyone else who was wondering about this, one of the next two chapters is going to be Dudley's Pov, and should give you some answers.
Brave, Wise, Loyal, or Cunning
"Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!" A giant man with long bushy hair and beard held a lamp over the crowd of children before him. He stood more than twice as tall as any of the first years, and cast a foreboding shadow over the students, but once Daisy could see his friendly face, with twinkling eyes and a bright smile, she figured he couldn't be as scary as he looked.
Daisy looked around. Lily and Sophie had already been pulled away from her by the packs of students milling around randomly. Daisy pushed her way through a group of older kids to reach Lily, who she had only been able to see by her brightly colored hair in the foggy darkness.
"This way," Daisy said, tugging on Lily's sleeve.
Lily looked up. "Oh, hey it's Hagrid!" she said, still in her unfamiliar, cheery tone, and pulled Daisy and Sophie towards him.
They were about to approach Hagrid, when they were stopped by a small elderly man at a long table in the middle of the path.
"Electronics please," he recited. "And don't sneak any through. They'll only break once they enter the Hogwarts grounds."
Daisy took out her mobile, now covered in a dark blue protective case, and her laptop and held them out to the man. He took them from her, and placed them in a metal lockbox about the size of a small suitcase. "Here's your key, you will be told when you can access your items. Good evening."
After Sophie had handed over her mobile and received her key, the three girls walked over to the group of first years who were collecting by Hagrid. After all of them had been accounted for, they all followed Hagrid down a slick, steep slope, surrounded by something - Daisy guessed tall trees - that blocked out all light.
Soon, Daisy started hearing gasps of amazement coming from the students in the front, and peered over their heads to see what they were looking at. The path ahead had widened, and all the first years could now see the towering castle over the broad black lake spread out before them.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid said, and gestured for all of them to get in one of the small wooden boats at the shore.
Sophia led the way to one of the empty boats, and all three sat down. Joining them, was a boy that Daisy didn't recognize, but no one was interested in talking about themselves when there was so much to be seen.
Just as she started to wonder where the oars were, Daisy realized that their small fleet of boats had already started gliding through the lake towards the castle. The waves could barely be noticed, and she would have sworn there weren't any at all if not for the sound of them slapping the sides of the boats.
After passing under the castle, they turned up at another boat harbor, and everyone got out.
"Now, follow me this way everyone," Hagrid called, helping the last student out of his boat. He led them up a flight of steps up to a pair of humongous oak doors, and knocked. Daisy turned around just in time to see the last few boats disappearing around the edge of the castle, to where, she could only guess.
The door only took a few moment to open, and behind it was a short wizard who introduced himself as Professor Flitwick, Deputy Headmaster.
Hagrid dipped his head, and stepped back to let them through, smiling at them as they went by. Daisy noticed he was particularly sure to smile at the ones that looked nervous.
Daisy stepped into the Hall not expecting anything too grand, but she couldn't help but gasp once she saw the room. The ceiling was taller than she could see, and marble staircases led up in different directions. There were no electric lights, only torches hanging on the walls, and lots of large windows, that surely showed lots of light during the day.
Once all the first years stood in the hall, Professor Flitwick turned around. "Welcome to Hogwarts!" She said. "The first term feast will begin in just a few moments, but before you can find seats, you must be sorted into your houses. The four houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. What house you are put into is very important, because you cannot get re-sorted, and while you are here you will eat, sleep and spend free time in your house dormitory, and have classes with members of your house. Each house has it's own unique history and qualities that will suit different people. For the rest of the year, your doings will earn, or lose your house some points, and the house cup will be awarded to the leading house at the end of the school year. I wish you all the best of luck - I'll be back to lead you into the Great Hall momentarily."
"Soon, we'll all be sitting together at the Gryffindor table. I'm sure of it," Lily whispered to Daisy and Sophia. Daisy smiled and nodded, but inside she couldn't help but not want to be in Gryffindor. She wasn't brave enough. How could she be? But what other house would she go into? None of the others seemed to fit her description either.
"I hope all of you are ready, because it's time to enter the Great Hall!" Professor McGonagall was already back, and the doors to the feast were wide open. "Line up, and follow me!"
Daisy was shivering, even though she wasn't cold, as she walked in behind Lily with Sophia marching behind her. If the entrance Hall had been magnificent, there were no words to describe the Great hall. Four house tables were laid out perpendicular to a staff table, all under a blanket of stars above them - was there even a ceiling? - and candles hovered over everyone, lighting the room to a glow of perfection. Daisy wanted to talk to Lily about it, but the silence over the room was so intense she didn't want to break it.
In the middle of all the tables, Professor Flitwick was placing a stool with a ragged old hat on top of it. No one moved.
Well, weren't they supposed to be sorted by this thing? Why wasn't someone telling them what to do? Daisy thought. And then she saw the folds of the hat turn into a mouth, and heard words flying out of it in a song.
...Are you afraid of what you'll hear?
Afraid I'll speak the name you fear?
Not Slytherin! Not Gryffindor!
Not Hufflepuff! Not Ravenclaw!
Don't worry, child, I know my job,
You'll learn to laugh, if first you sob.*
Where the sorting hat's last words.
As the rest of the students cheered, Daisy was thinking. How comforting to think that she'd have to sob before she could laugh. Did it really mean that?
The man who had placed the sorting hat in front in the first place was now speaking to them. "When I call your name, you will sit, and try on the house. When you have been sorted, you may join your new house family."
"Adair, Connell!" He called.
A skinny boy with spiky blonde hair ran up to try on the hat, nearly tripping over his friends cloak as he ran up. The hat fell over his whole face when he put it on, but after only a couple seconds, the hat yelled "SLYTHERIN!" and Connell ran gleefully to sit with his new house.
The process repeated with the rest of the students ahead of Daisy in name. Bates, Jasper became the first new Hufflepuff, followed by the first Gryffindor, Bell, Amelie. A couple more students went up, Benson, Rupert to Ravenclaw, Castle, Bella to Slytherin, and then it was "Dursley, Daisy"
Daisy walked quickly, knowing that if she ran she would surely fall. She sat down and placed the hat on her head.
"Hmm," said a small voice in her mind. It must be the hat, she thought. It definitely isn't me. "You have quite an interesting mind, dearie, so much potential, but so much fear of what you can do… I think that - well maybe not. You only show your bravery when it comes to protecting... curiouser and curiouser…"
The hat's voice broke free of Daisy's head and yelled out to the whole hall, "HUFFLEPUFF!" and then went silent.
Daisy took off the hat and set it back on the stool behind her. Her new house was cheering loudly, and she couldn't see Daisy, Sophia, or any familiar face in the crowd through the haze that seemed to be covering her sight.
Daisy sat down next to Jasper, the other new Hufflepuff, and continued to watch the sorting. She caught Lily's eye finally, but Lily looked away, expressionless.
"Ellis, Gracie!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Hanson, Trevor!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
And finally "Hatman, Sophia!" Sophia looked, by far, the most confident first year so far. She'll be Gryffindor for sure, thought Daisy. But Daisy was surprised, and from the look on Lily's face, she was too, when the hat crowed a loud "HUFFLEPUFF!"
When "Potter, Lily!" came along, there were a couple murmurs, but people didn't seem surprised. It seemed that they already knew that James and Albus' little sister would be arriving this year. They only wish they knew which house she would be in.
The hat only hesitated for a second before calling out the predictable choice. "GRYFFINDOR!"
And Lily joined Gracie Ellis and her brother James at the table.
And on it went. First year after first year sorted into a house. Another few that stood out to Daisy, were Wyatt Warner, who also went to Gryffindor, Hugo Weasley went to Ravenclaw, Jessamine Yates, a Slytherin, and Jonathan Clavis**, a Ravenclaw.
Finally, everyone was sorted and Daisy could get to her food. The golden plates were now empty, but it couldn't be much longer till someone brought food. After McGonagall told everyone that they were welcome at Hogwarts, she turned back to the table and everything was full!
"I don't know If I've ever seen this much food in my life!" Sophia said, taking a piece of every food she could get her hands on.
Daisy agreed as she too dug into her food.
"Lily looks kind of mad, doesn't she?" Daisy asked Sophia.
Sophia followed Daisy's eyes to the Gryffindor table. Lily was smiling, and acting cheerful, but every once in awhile, she glared towards them before taking a bite.
"I'm sure she'll get over it," Sophia said. "Don't let it get you down. We're at Hogwarts, finally, we should celebrate!"
O0o0o00o0o0o
At last, the desserts had gone and McGonagall stood to give her announcements.
"Firstly, everyone should be reminded that the forbidden forest is out of bound for anyone without special teacher permission. Quidditch trial times will be posted on your house's news board whenever your captain has set the schedule. And lastly, I must tell you that things are going to be very different this year. Many new classes have been added, a Muggle Electronics class, Muggle World History class, and Muggle Daily Life class, along with several art and music electives. Therefore, tomorrow there will be no classes. Instead, groups will be touring around the castle for new students, and around the new areas for returning students. Further instructions will be given tomorrow morning. So goodnight!"
"Come on! We have to follow our prefects to the dormitory!" Sophia was pulling her towards Jasper and the prefects. It was time to go to bed. They had a big day ahead of them.
*Words I found on the sorting hat wiki for its song for 2019. I think it's from The Cursed Child, but I don't have a copy anymore so I can't check.
** JKR said that Cho married a muggle, and I used the name from LadyPotter27's story 'Cho Married a Muggle,' David Clavis. SO, yes Jonathan is Cho's son. I just really didn't feel like making up another name XD.
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