CHAPTER FOUR
Eventually the train came to a stop. Lavender and Remus looked out the window to see that it was already dark out and that there were a few lanterns here and there. They left their compartment and started to head to one of the exits. As soon as lavender stepped out, a gust of wind swirled around. So, she wrapped her robes tightly around her to keep warm. She turned to see Remus trying to do the same thing, but his robes didn't fit him that well. Lavender didn't want to see her friend standing there cold. So, she took off her gloves and a simple scarf and handed them to the freezing boy.
He looked at her in disbelief because no one has given him anything. She saw that he was about to refuse, until they heard someone beginning to speak. Lavender quickly placed the gloves and scarf into Remus's hands and ignored his protest.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Said a loud voice. Everyone looked up to see a big man, with brown hair and beard.
"C'mon, follow me- any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
All the first years followed the big man down a dark and narrow path. Occasionally lavender heard whispers from behind her, but she calmly ignored them and continued the path.
Just then the man said over his shoulder "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec."
Eventually the path opened and everyone stood in complete shock at the castle that stood on top of the mountain in front of them.
"No more'n four boats!" The man said, as he pointed to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Lavender and Remus continued toward the boats.
"Everyone in?" Shouted the man, who had a boat to himself. "Right then- FORWARD!"
The boats began to move, and lavender was in a boat with a girl with dark red hair and bright green eyes. And the other person was a boy and he had greasy black hair and black eyes. The boats continued down the lake.
"Heads down!" Yelled the bearded man.
Everyone's heads lowered as a curtain of ivy pulled back to show an opening in the mountain. Once they stopped at an underground dock type thing, they all climbed out and wait to be instructed by the man. They then walked up a flight of stone stairs and crowded around the huge, oak front door.
"Everyone here?" The man raised a giant fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
The door swung open to reveal a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes standing there. She also wore a stern expression that told everyone not to mess with her.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the big, bearded man.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take it from here." Said Professor McGonagall.
The door widened to reveal a hall that a small house could fit in it. Lavender noticed that the torches on the hall were lit and that there was marble staircase that led to the upper floors. Everyone followed the Professor across the hallway. She then led them to a smaller room, with which they all crowed in.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said the professor. "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. 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 you House points, while any rule breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will credit to whichever House becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes. You will all be soon getting sorted to find out where your House is. I will return when we are ready for you, and please wait quietly." With that Professor McGonagall left.
"How do you think we'll get sorted" Remus asked Lavender?
"I don't know but when my siblings were sorted, they had a hat placed on their heads, but they also said that in their 5th year, the hat somehow got burned. So, I have no idea."
"Wow, how would it have gotten burned? Isn't it magical?"
"I have no idea, but I guess somehow it did. And maybe they didn't think it would get on fire."
"Maybe you're right."
Lavender and Remus stood near the back of the group of first years waiting to be called in. Lavender's mind was racing with many different questions and potential answers, but to her they sounded so absurd and maybe to wild. She looked around to see what other students that were there. She then noticed the girl and the boy that were in the same boat as her and Remus and saw that they stayed near the outside of the crowd.
After some time, Professor McGonagall came back in and said "ok now come with me it is time for you all to be sorted into which house you'll be in, but this year will be different. Instead of being presented in front of everyone, you'll be taking a test, yes, I know that it is unusual for Hogwarts to make students take a test on their first day, but something happened to the sorting hat and well, this is the only other way."
She led the students into the hall again and down the corridor. They passed another set of gigantic doors but continued forward. It wasn't until after a flight of stairs and two more doors, did they stop. The entered the room and saw that the desks had papers on them, and the seats were all in a row.
"Now find a seat and you may begin the test. The answers are about you so you will know the answer to them. The rest shouldn't take too long, and that I'll be at the desk waiting to get the papers back."
With that said everyone went to a seat and started. Lavender noticed that the questions were in fact about themselves. She looked at the first question and read 'what houses are your brother and/or your sister in if you have any?' She quickly answered that question with ease.
10 questions later lavender answered the last question and as soon as she wrote the last word, the page began to change. All the words moved around until it revealed a picture and under that picture words. She saw that it showed the Gryffindor crest. She assumed that she was going to be in that house, but then another picture started to form along with the name. She looked at the paper and saw that it didn't just have one house, but two. She saw that half of the students were still taking the test and the rest looking at the crest of their new house. She saw that Remus was looking at her and he lifted his paper to her, and she saw that he was in Gryffindor. She was hesitant with showing her's because she doesn't know what to think.
Lavender decided to ask the Professor about the test being wrong. So, she stood up and went to the front of the classroom and asked "umm... excuse me Professor McGonagall… I think this test maybe wrong."
"And why would you say that" she asked?
"Ummm… well" she decided to show the Professor the test and as soon as Professor McGonagall saw it her face changed.
"Well, that is new. This has never happened before."
"So, what do I do?"
"Well, I'll have to consult with headmaster Dumbledore, but for now you may stay in this room, until after the feast, or you can go in and choose where to sit."
"Thank you for the help. I'll go in and choose."
"And then after I would like you to follow me, and we'll have a chat with Headmaster Dumbledore."
Lavender nodded her head and went back to her seat. Her mind was going all over the place trying to figure out what will happen to her.Maybe they will send me back home because they realize that I'm not worth the trouble, or they will make me choose, or they might let me into both houses, but what would they think about a mixed house witch? Would they hate me, or would they understand? Maybe they'll let me take the test again. Yeah. I think they'll let me take the test again because the test might have messed something up.Her thoughts were interrupted when Professor McGonagall started to speak.
"Ok I see that all of you have finished the test and so we may start heading to the Great Hall. Now follow me."
Everyone got up and started to follow the Professor into the hall again and down towards the Great Hall. Once they got down there, they entered through a giant set of doors. The doors opened and all the first years investigated the hall and saw that the ceiling looked like the sky and that there were floating candles lighting the whole room. Lavender walked next to Remus while they entered the Hall.
McGonagall walked up to the podium on the raised platform and started to speak to the crowd of students. "Sorry for the delay, but all the new first years have found their rightful place. So, all of the new students, you may go and join your houses at their tables."
Everyone went to where they would sit for the rest of the years here. Lavender decided to go with Remus to his table, so that she could keep him company in case anyone decides to pick on him. As they sat down, she saw that the boy Sirius and the tall boy along with the boy with the blondish hair. She saw Sirius staring at her, but all she did was roll her eyes and turned away. She could tell that he wanted to say something but was interrupted when someone else started to.
"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. I will make this short and simple so you could all enjoy the feast. It is so wonderful to see all of you again and some new faces and that there may be more in the future. I will say this no one is allowed to go to the Forbidden Forest and that is the only place you may not go. So lastly, I would like to introduce a new teacher this year. He is going to be the new astronomy professor. Welcome Professor Flamen." Everyone started to clap for the new teacher. "And that is all that I need to say, so enjoy the feast."
Suddenly food begins to spear from nowhere. And everyone was grabbing for it. She noticed that Remus hasn't touched his food, so she asked, "is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just not that hungry." He replied.
"Well. Ok."
Lavender continued to talk to Remus all throughout the feast. Once the feast was done, everyone started to follow their Prefects to their common rooms. But lavender stayed behind to wait to talk to the headmaster.