They made their way off the train and Morgan saw a crowd streaming towards a nearby path and trailed along behind Hermione on the way to a bunch of carriages pulled by. "What's that?" Harry asked staring at the strange horse that was harnessed to the carriage. "Pulling the carriage," Hermione gave him a worried look saying, "nothing Harry, it's pulling itself like always."
Morgan walked forward and placed a hand on the creature's snout saying, "it's definitely not Hermione. I can see them too," Luna has already climbed into the carriage when she poked her head out saying. "Don't worry I can see them too, you're just as sane as I am." Grace chuckled as they climbed into the carriage and started off towards the school.
Awe was written plainly across Grace's face as the school came into view, and Morgan couldn't help but be impressed by the massive castle. Immense stone brick towers and walls towered over them, and everything thrummed with magic. As they clambered out of the carriage, she ran a hand along the masonry Grace rattling off a whole bunch of architecture stuff that made zero sense to her.
But she wasn't really listening, the intensity of the magical energy radiating from the castle had caught her off guard. It distracted her drawing her attention to the old magic running through the stone, so it was no surprise when she almost ran into a boy in tattered faded robes. Then Malfoy whipped around, he had his hood pulled over his head to hide his still fiery red hair and black and blue nose.
"You'll pay for this," Morgan sensed the crowd around the pair gathering more people by the moment so she smirked up at the boy, confidence radiating in every line on her face. She let her wand slide into her hand and said with a honeyed, sarcastic drawl tugging on the gold she felt in Malfoy's pockets. "No Malfoy," she felt a tug in her gut and a galleon flipped into the air and she caught it between two fingers without even looking she finished. "I got paid for this," flicking her wand she summoned the blonde prick hood.
And the whole school roared with laughter as they saw what seemed to be all the things Malfoy had ever teased the Weasleys about plastered over his face and clothes, Morgan dropped the hood onto the ground and left waving cheerily at the now humiliated Malfoy.
"That may have been the most bloody brilliant thing I have ever seen," Morgan grinned wildly, it had been rather fun to watch Malfoy go as red as the hair she had given him. She grinned at the sight of a bully getting the taste of his own medicine, she hated bullies but had to concede that sometimes firing right back with their own weapons was the only way to stop them.
"Ms. Peters, Ms. Sabers, if you would come with me." The pair ducked through the crowd coming to see Professor McGonagall waving from the opposite side of the rushing sea of students, "follow me please."
Morgan trailed behind wondering if the news of her little stunt on the train had reached the staff, but they were led to an empty classroom in the main entrance hall. "You will wait here as the first years are sorted then you will come into the Great Hall to be sorted yourselves."
Morgan dropped into one of the seats fidgeting in annoyance with the sleeves of her robes asking, "they don't actually expect us to wear this stuff every day right?"
She gestured to the ridiculous ensemble that they called a school uniform. A plain gray knee-length skirt with a button-up white shirt, and its gray sweater over the whole thing. The tie made her feel like she was being strangled and the robes over top almost guaranteed she would fall on her face at least once a day.
"This is a British school so yes," Grace rolled her eyes as she saw her tie. "What? I never thought I would need to know how to tie a tie," her friend's fingers danced over the simple black tie fixing it so it was far better looking than it had previously been.
Grace paced as Morgan blew bubbles with the last of the gum she had bought on the train when a sleek silver cat came through the door and spoke in Professor McGonagall's voice. "We're ready for you."
"Holy Hades," Grace walked through the massive doors Morgan grinning confidently beside her as she almost strutted happily. She saw a tomato-red Malfoy sitting at a table full of kids who looked like jerks and smiled cheekily at him and she winked at the Gryffindor table where Ginny and Hermione smiled back. "This year we will be joined by two fifth years from Ilvermorny," they made their way up to a three-legged stool in the front room and Grace looked slightly confused at the tattered, pointed hat.
"If you would be so kind as to introduce yourselves, without godly parents," Grace nodded at McGonagall and turned to face the students filling the hall. "Hello, I'm Grace Peters," her friend introduced herself simply and Morgan stepped forward waving and saying, "I'm Morgan Sabers."
The Great Hall was massive, and the ceiling seemingly vanished turning to a glittering star-filled sky she watched Grace sit down on the stool.
"Hm, so, you have many secrets don't you." Grace nearly tore the hat off her head when it started talking, "don't we all," she shot back thinking of the words instead of saying them. "Wisdom aplenty, surprising loyalty, quite cunning too," the hat seemed to muse, mostly to itself. Grace sat still her mind racing what kind of magic could animate a hat, "ahh, but you need no house to hone your wisdom. So better be, GRYFFINDOR!"
The hat was lifted from her head and she rose to her feet whispering to Morgan, "good luck, also the hat talks." Walking down the four steps and sat next to Hermione and looked back up at Morgan who gave her a bewildered look as the hat slipped over her eyes.
"What the actual hell," her hands tightened on the edge of the stool as yep Grace was right the hat could talk. "You are very much the same as your friend no?" Morgan thought how very weird this all was before shooting back in her head, "well she is my friend."
The hat made her want to rip it off her head but she kept her hands at her sides as it muttered, "fiercely loyal, hmm, where to put you." The hat went silent for a moment and she thought, "would you hurry up, I am rather hungry and frankly, I believe the rest of the hall is as well."
Somehow, she managed to think sarcastically and the hat said, "very determined but, oh bravery shines through GRYFFINDOR!" Grinning she saw the hall once more and she strode to sit between one of the twins and Ginny, dropping into the seat and drawling, "that was one of the absolute weirdest things, ever."