"Sorted?" Commander Goddard repeated. "What, exactly, do you mean?"
Radu hid a smile. Their compu pads contained all of the classical works of literature, and while he wasn't much of a reader of fiction, he had leafed through the list from time to time. The Harry Potter books, written by JK Rowling, had made their way into this list. So had other children's books involving magic that had been written in the twentieth century, like CS Lewis's "Narnia" series, and JR Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series. Radu had read them all, beginning at the Staracademy when he needed a break from his classes, and on the Christa.
So, they were not entirely fiction, after all. Perhaps, JK Rowling had been a witch, or maybe a Squib. It wouldn't violate any laws if she had written the secrets of the wizarding world as a children's series, would it?
The headmaster sighed. "Sorted, sir, sorted! Have you never read the works of the esteemed JK Rowling?"
Commander shook his head. "The name does sound vaguely familiar. She wasn't a scientist or an astronomer, was she?"
Harlan sniggered, then quickly pretended to have a coughing fit.
Commander Goddard raised his eyebrows. "This isn't your idea of some kind of practical joke, is it, Mr. Band? Although, where exactly you'd find a man all the way out here to collaborate with your idea of a joke-"
"Commander, I swear, it wasn't me!" Harlan interrupted. "And I have no idea who this Headmaster Elderby is."
"Eldervy, Band," the Earther (well, wizard) corrected. To the Commander, he added, "In that case, sir, please allow me to explain."
To his credit, it only took about five minutes. Yes, there was a magical world, and children with magical parents or-as was becoming increasingly frequent-were the first witch or wizard in their family to have magical powers would receive a letter from Hogwarts before they turned eleven. Then, they would attend the school for seven years, and emerge proficient in the various arts of witchcraft and wizardry.
"When the school was first established, the founders examined the children and placed them into the house most suited for their skills. However, foreseeing their eventual demise, they created a hat that would do the job for them. It is called the Sorting Hat," the headmaster continued. "A boy or girl places it on their head, and the hat looks into their mind to determine which house they are best suited for."
"Fine. But what does that have to do with my crew? Everyone here is over the age of eleven, and none of them have magical powers," Commander replied, with rather forced patience.
Headmaster Eldervy chuckled. "That's of no consequence. Of course, your crew-as you put it-will not be leaving your vessel. It is merely a means of entertainment for yourselves and for the hat. You see, while the hat is not alive in the traditional sense, it only is able to sort students one day a year. Gets rather dull in my office, you know. So, we take trips to other worlds. We offer the people there the chance to be sorted-with the understanding, of course, that this is simply a way to learn about themselves. No one will actually go to Hogwarts afterwards."
Commander glanced at Harlan and Radu, then back at the wizard. "A moment, please."
"Certainly," the wizard replied, with a smile.
Commander walked a few yards away from the airlock, then nodded at the males to follow him.
"What do you guys think?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
"He seems harmless," Harlan offered, "for now."
Radu nodded. "Even though he probably doesn't have magical powers, it seems to be best to humor him."
Commander nodded, then glanced over to the wizard. He couldn't possibly be overhearing them, not unless his hearing was as good as Radu's, but he still had the sense that the man knew exactly what they were talking about.
"Okay. We'll call the others, and have this...sorting...take place at the Command post," Commander determined.
"Why not here, sir?" Radu asked.
"It's been a month without incident. Maybe this qualifies, but I'm not taking any chances, Mr. Radu," he explained.
He approached the airlock, then punched in the code that would allow him to speak to the whole ship.
"Please report to the Command post immediately."
Seconds later, Radu could hear the mechanical beeping of the jump tubes as the crew made their way to the deck. Ms. Davenport arrived first, with Bova and Rosie right behind her. Suzee appeared seconds later. Everyone looked confused, but hardly panicked.
We're used to the unknown, Radu realized.
"Commander?" Ms. Davenport spoke up, glancing at the man and pulling Bova and Rosie a bit closer to her. "What is going on?"
Commander Goddard nodded towards the headmaster. "This is Headmaster Eldervy, of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Ms. Davenport tightened her hold on the younger students, and Suzee stood a bit closer to Harlan and Radu.
"I beg your pardon?" the vice principal asked, her voice just a bit higher than usual.
"Do allow me to explain. I assure you, Ms. Davenport, I mean you and your crew no harm." At her nod, he continued, telling her the same story he had told the Commander moments earlier. He concluded, "Do I have your consent?"
Ms. Davenport had loosened her hold on Rosie and Bova at this point, but she didn't look particularly reassured. She glanced at Commander Goddard.
"Commander, what do you think? Should we allow this, er, Sorting, to take place?" she queried.
Commander looked at her, then at the wizard, and finally shrugged. "I see no harm in it. Of course," he added, "anyone here who does not want to be Sorted is free to abstain."
"But of course!" Headmaster Eldervy agreed, rather jovially. "However, not all of your crew are on this ship."
"Who's missing?" Suzee asked, looking around.
"Catalina."
The wizard waved his stick (no, Radu reminded himself, his wand), and suddenly, Catalina appeared.
Author's note:
I can't very well exclude Catalina, can I?
