Chapter Three
The train had pulled up outside Hogsmede. The only all-wizarding village in Great Britain. The older students began to move, including Euphemia. She wished the two muggle witches good luck before leaving them. Lucy and Myrtle staying still for a few moments before too getting up. Without much thought, Lucy spotted Eileen Prince again and rushed towards her too quickly that she accidentally fell into her. Making them both stumble onto the floor. Laughter from students was heard as they stepped over them like they were piles of rubbish. Eileen managed to shove Lucy away.
"Are you looking to be killed before you step into school?!" Eileen snapped; finally speaking for the first time.
She looked like she already had enough. Truth be told was that she wasn't quite as against muggles and muggle-borns as she made out to her friends. She just didn't want to lose favour with her group of pure-blood friends. Myrtle was still standing over them as the girls were now sat on the floor together. Lucy could hardly speak out of embarrassment. She only wanted to follow her as she didn't know where she was suppose to go next and simply knew her from the platform. She didn't mean to shove her onto the floor.
"I'm sorry...I just wanted to see where I was going" Lucy finally managed to say.
"You go wherever the gameskeeper tells you to go. We as first-years have to follow him, alright?"
"Alright"
"Right...Now if you go near me, speak to me or even look in my direction. I will hurt you. Do you hear me?" Eileen spat; putting her serious face back on.
Lucy just nodded and almost like that didn't just happen. Eileen got herself up (now wearing her uniform) as she swooped her black robe around and stepped from the train in a huff. Myrtle helped her friend up from the ground next as the two girls finally left the train. A burly man with an unkempt brown beard was shouting "First-years! First-years follow me!". He was the 'Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts' before Hagrid. He was named Ogg. The two girls made their way over, his voice echoing like a foghorn. Lucy spotted Eileen Prince again, she was with Abraxas Malfoy and that black-haired boy.
"I wonder what will happen next. I wonder if we are being taken to our deaths" Myrtle said to Lucy as they began to walk behind Ogg and the rest of the first-years.
Ogg was taking them in another direction to the older students. This was quite scary for some of them. Mytrle wasn't helping settling Lucy's nerves as she began to talk about death and dirty dungeons. Her mood didn't help when she saw that he was leading them towards the lake; Myrtle spoke again as she said in a tearful voice...
"Oh no...Oh no, he's going to expect us to swim or worse, drown"
"No. There's boats, I see them" Lucy replied; pointing into the water.
"Sinkable boats"
Lucy's mouth opened at this mere suggestion. Ogg began to usher in the students into the boats. Each of them were given a lantern each. As four by four got into one of the boats. Lucy and Mytrle were stood frozen before being shoved near the final boat. Which they had to share with two boys (one of them holding the lantern). The two boys looked as scared as they did. The boats began to move and just as Lucy had prepared herself for a watery death. The lights of 'Hogwarts Castle' came into view and she looked up amazed. Even Myrtle had finally stopped talking about death as she too was speechless. This castle was one of the most beautiful looking places Lucy has even seen...
...
The first-year students were led into the castle. Ghosts suddenly lept out from the walls. Scaring the students, Myrtle muttering in Lucy's ear
"They want to give us a heart attack so we die"
As nice as Lucy was, she was getting fed up with Myrtle's moaning about everyone and everything. She stepped a little bit away from her so she didn't have to hear her ramblings. Peeves flew around the ceiling, Lucy watching him as she looked up and laughed. Not knowing how much trouble he was to the teachers and students at the school. Though somebody was missing as Lucy began to look around for Argus Filch. He wasn't here she thought, how strange. Though she had little time to think about that as a teacher led them into the 'Great Hall'. Murmurs among the older students filled the room as they watched the first-years walk down the hall towards the 'Sorting Hat'. The headmaster Armando Dippet was seen sitting down on his chair as he watched them.
"Welcome...welcome; when I call your name. You will sit down in that very chair and be sorted into your house" Dippet informed the students.
Lucy was confused slightly as all she seen was an old hat. Though this hat began to sing. Some of the older students groaned slightly however the younger ones (and the polite older ones) watched him sing with a smile. He sang about the houses and what each one represented. Lucy looked around during this at her fellow first-year students but she couldn't see Argus Filch.
"Avery, Peter!"
This was the first student called out. Lucy watched the boy walk up the steps and sit down. The hat placed on his head. She couldn't hear anything but she guessed he must be talking to the hat in some way.
"Slytherin!"
The Slytherin table erupted in cheers as the boy walked to the table. He seemed glad. A man named Horace Slughorn stood up and clapped. He was 'Head of Slytherin'. A couple more names were called out and more tables clapped enthusiastically.
"Malfoy, Abraxas!"
He gave a knowing smile at his friends. He was the first student to walk up the steps with no nerves. As he sat down on the chair for he had been prepared for this moment for eleven years and with little time. For the 'Sorting Hat' knew what house he would be in almost instantly.
"Slytherin!"
More cheers from that table were heard. Slughorn was clapping even louder than ever before. Abraxas walked towards the table with pride as he sat himself down next to Peter Avery. Shaking hands with his fellow Slytherin's and acting like he was some sort of VIP.
"Norris, Lucy!"
Lucy almost forgot she would be called up. The moment her name was said, her heart began beating. What if she wasn't sorted? She was so nervous that she felt like she could collapse. As she sat down on the chair and the hat was placed upon her hat. She briefly looked into the crowd and felt all eyes on her as they were on everyone previously.
"Well...well, I sense a lot of things could go wrong with you. Not by you but to you. Though based on what you're thinking; I know exactly what house you will fit in"
"Hufflepuff!"
Loud cheers came from the Hufflepuff table on hearing this. Lucy gave a smile as the hat was removed. She sat besides an older girl and she felt many of the older Hufflepuff's shaking her hand. She was the first new Hufflepuff that night. They were worried for a while about not getting any of the first-years. As most of them seemed to be going to Slytherin tonight. The Fat Friar flew towards the table as he spoke to Lucy...
"Welcome Lucy Norris...I am happy to have you with us!"
"He's happy to have anyone!" Peeves shouted from above.
Making the Hufflepuff students give him a loud boo in return. Peeves flew away laughing. The 'Head of Hufflepuff' was a woman named Charity Anne Burbage. She currently taught Muggle Studies. A new course which only began the previous year. Settled down at the her table. She looked towards the centre again...
"Prince, Eileen!"
The black-haired girl walked up the steps. She sat on the chair and had her serious face truly on. Lucy only saw flashes of the person behind this serious facade before and she couldn't feel anything but pity towards her. The hat seemed slightly conflicted on this girl though he called out...
"Slytherin!"
The table erupted into cheers again however Eileen didn't smile. She looked emotionless as she sat at the table. Not even shaking the hands that went in her direction. No, Eileen was merely going through the motions; that was all. Albus Dumbledore could almost sense the girl's unhappiness as he briefly looked towards her; he didn't clap this time either.
"There are many Slytherin's this year...I can hardly remember there being this many before" a brown-haired Hufflepuff girl whispered to the girl next to her.
She was right about this, 1938 was the year for the most Slytherin students to be sorted. It was the way things went sometimes. Some houses only got one first-year per year, sometimes even none. The next name to be called out was...
"Riddle, Tom!"
The whole room went silent again. Albus Dumbledore (who did his home visit this year) looked towards him as he walked towards the chair. The hat was placed on his head. Lucy couldn't recall seeing this boy on the train though whoever he was, he looked serious. Not like Eileen for he didn't have any sadness behind his eyes. In fact, he had nothing behind his eyes. Before anyone could even think, the hat called out...
"Slytherin!"
It was the fastest decision of the night. There was no doubt in the hat's mind what house Tom Riddle belonged to. No doubt at all. Lucy watched as he walked towards the cheering table. Slughorn clapping loudly again as stood up. The last one left was called up...
"Warren, Myrtle!"
The girl with black-hair in pigtails and glasses went up the steps. Sitting down and looking down at her hands. Not wishing to look at all the prying eyes upon her (and there were many).
"Ravenclaw!"
There was clapping from that table as she walked over and took her place. She was the final one. Lucy however was looking around and after a few minutes, two figures came down the hallway. An elderly man called Oakleigh Burton came down with a child walking behind him; Argus Filch had arrived at Hogwarts. Lucy looked over very excited as she gave him a wave. Though her fellow Hufflepuffs looked at her like she was insane.
"It's Argus" Lucy informed them all; making them give a polite but confused smile.
The older students looked down when the old caretaker Oakleigh walked past. He still had a cane in his hand and judging by the state of it, he had used it many, many times.
...
Sitting not far from the Hufflepuff table. Argus sat besides Oakleigh Burton as the two of them looked across at the prying students. Argus' squib status wasn't even mentioned as the students were terrified of misbehaving in front of Oakleigh. For his punishments were almost medieval. Argus Filch would constantly mention them during Harry Potter's time in school decades later. He looked towards Lucy and gave her the smallest wave back.
"Do not wave...Filch...Never wave" Oakleigh muttered to his new assistant.
Eleven year old Argus Filch was indeed Oakleigh's assistant. For despite being so young, he was a squib and couldn't use magic. Though feeling sorry for the poor boy, he was given a chance to attend the school but only as a helper. He wasn't allowed to do anything beyond that. His father and brother were both ashamed of him you see. His brother was called Archibald Filch and he was two years older. Currently sat in Ravenclaw, Archibald looked down and could hardly look at his little brother.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. I'm delighted to welcome you all to Hogwarts. Now you may be wondering why Argus Filch is here...Well he is here merely to assist Oakleigh Burton as caretaker. I expect you all to show him the same respect you would any other staff member" Headmaster Dippet announced; he was now stood up.
Archibald Filch sunk deeper into his chair; some of his fellow classmates laughed at him as they said through fits of laughter..."Your brother is a mere caretaker in his first year at Hogwarts!"
"I would like to remind all students to never go into the Forbidden Forest. Now let the feast begin!"
With that final call, food appeared onto the table and the students began to eat. Lucy looked towards Argus to find that all he had to eat was some sandwich. She picked up one of the empty plates and piled food upon it. She got up from her table and just as she was about to offer Argus it. Oakleigh stood up as if she was misbehaving.
"I haven't used my cane yet this year. Do you wish to be my first?" Oakleigh asked in a nasty tone of voice.
She shook her head and pointed towards Filch. Saying "I was only going to offer him food"
"He has plenty of food, miss. Don't you worry about that. Now sit down"
Feeling slightly defeated and not wanting to get caned (or worse). Lucy sat back down with a sigh.
...
TBC