Chapter 8
stuffed full of sandwiches and an assortment of pastries and chocolates from the train that where now making her feel slightly queasy, hazel made her way through the castle, led by marlene, towards mc gonnagle’s office. perhaps not the best way to start her school year, she thought absentmindedly to herself as they wandered deeper and deeper into the stone heart of the castle, but in her defence her meeting with headmistress had nothing to do with any bad behaviour on her part and everything to do with her receiving a private sorting. it had been explained to her by dumbledor before she arrived at hogwarts, along with many other things they had gone over, that she was to miss out on the feast on her first day of arrival and instead head straight towards mc gonnagle’s office where she would be sorted, away from the crowds of observers that usually accompanied sortings. apparently this was standard for any mature student entering beginning their schooling in any year that wasn’t first year, and she wasn’t about to complain about the small bit of privacy that she had been granted.
now, the stone hallway stretched before her, the warm orange glow of the torches that lined it casting the patches of the passage they adorned in a soft light, shadows stretching between them as hazel made her way to mc gonaggle’s office, her and marlene’s soft footsteps the only sound in the otherwise abandoned space. mary and lily had offered to walk with them but marlene had cast one look towards hazels nervous expression and silently- yet firmly- told them to wait in their dorms, where she promised they would join to after hazels visit. the girl had been thankful- as much as she liked the other two girls, she didn’t want any extra company with her when she made her descent into the castle to receive her sorting. she needed to be alone for this. marlene, of course didn’t count in this conclusion- she was practically hazels other half after all. where one went, the other would follow.
it felt like a lifetime that she trecked down the looming corridor, footfalls heavy and heart fluttering rapidly within her chest, but finally mc gonaggles office came into view, her wooden door unassuming and strangely ordinary looking, distinguishable from one of the many classrooms she had passed only by the small golden plaque that adorned it, the name ‘minerva mc gonaggle’ etched upon it. she halted, staring at the door before her, feeling marlene settle by her side, warmth radiating of her friends side.
‘ill be right here.’ the blond swore, reaching to link their fingers together, giving hazels hand a firm squeeze. she mearly nodded, throat dry and took a deep breath, feeling the cool air filling her lungs. she held it there until her lungs where straining to the point of pain before slowly releasing it, gently unclasping her hand from marlene’s with the motion and brining her now free hand to the smooth wood, knocking twice.
‘come in.’ a smooth voice called out, and steeling her nerve she did, straightening her shoulders and refusing to look back at her awaiting friend as she pushed the door open, plunging inside. the door swung silently closed behind her and she swept her eyes around the small room she now stood within. the walls where the same stone as the corridor, spotted with wooden shelves that where filled with meticulously stacked books and ornament, pristinely tidy, not even a single thing out of place. the desk was the opposite to the obnoxiously neat rest of the room, with loose papers and half filled post of ink strewn across its worn surface, quills and cups of half drunk tea scattered upon its top. the room was cozy, a small fireplace crackling merrily in one corner, a coffee table stretched out before it, a single chipped plate dusted with biscuits crumbs atop it. the floor was decorated by a plush red and gold patterned rug that furled in at the edges, and various tapestries of similar colours hung from the walls. mc gonaggle herself was sat in the large cushioned desk chair before her desk and stood as hazel entered, eyes firm yet kind as she took in the girl before her.
‘ah, ms o’mallenough. i was wondering when you would arrive. please, take a seat.’
hazel obliged, trekking to one of the empty chairs before the worn oak desk and lowering herself into it, eyes wary as she stared at the woman before her. mc gonaggle was perhaps in her late forties, dark hair streaked through white grey and pulled back into a tight knot at the back of her head, almost completely obscured with a large pointed hat that sat upon her head, the point of its dark blue material bending downwards slightly at the tip and furling inwards.
‘please do not look so alarmed, ms o’mallenough.’ mc gonaggle stated, voice calm as she smiled slightly at the girl before her. ‘this will only take a moment, and is completely painless.’
she nodded mutely, not trusting herself to speak as she watched the teacher give her a lingering once over before reaching down to the inside of the desk. she couldn’t rid herself of the nerves that clung to her, no matter how hard she attempted. it wasn’t the fact that she might end up in a different house then marlene, she had friends in both gryffindor and slytherin, and was sure she would easily make more in whatever house she was sorted in, but the fact that this hat was about to peer into her skull that stiffened her spine. that it would peer into her mind, into the innermost thoughts that not even she ventured into. she couldn’t help feeling as though it was slightly violating, having another entity entering her mind and peering around. she had been violated plenty before, and wasn’t eager to be so again. still, she kept those protests to herself, straightening as mc gonaggle retrieved the tattered old hat from the desk and clasped it firmly between both slightly wrinkled hands, shoulders straightening as she glared at it, unblinking. she would face this invasion of her inner mind as she did with all things that frightened her- head on and unfaltering.
mc gonaggle smiled gently at her, murmuring ‘this won’t take too long.’ before reaching over and placing the wizens old hat upon her head, its brim so wide it completely covered her eyes, shrouding her in darkness. she barely had time to adjust to the sudden darkness, just hearing a single word spoken into her mind before-
‘gryffindor!’ this time the voice spoke aloud, shout booming through the otherwise silent room as it announced her fate. she frowned, blinking as the hat was suddenly plucked from her head and light spilled into her vision. was that really it? marlene had stated that the hat usually took its time deciding on which house to sort each student, silently speaking into the targets mind as it mulled its decision over, yet it had only spoken a single word to her. had something gone wrong? peering up at mc gonaggle who now held firmly onto the hat, her worry was not eased in the slightest, witnessing the downward tilt of the woman’s lips as if puzzled, brows knitted together before she quickly composed herself, expression slipping into an unreadable mask in the blink of an eye.
the woman eyes flicked down to the hat for a heartbeat, as if searching for an answer she would not find before lifting her gaze back up to meet hazels.
‘very well, ms o’mallenough. the hat has spoken, and as such you will be sorted into gryffindor beginning as of now.’
‘wait.’ she couldn’t halt the words as they tumbled out of her mouth, clamping her lips together as the woman looked back at her before opening them again, speaking slowly as she attempted to get her jumbled thoughts in order. ‘i thought it was supposed to take longer to be sorted into one’s house. the hat was barely on me- what if it made a mistake?’
at this mc gonaggles expression softened, voice kind as she firmly retorted ‘the hat does not make mistakes. your correct in assuming this particular sorting was faster then most, however it is not unheard of. i, myself, was sorted in a similar manner. there is no reason to be of concern.’
hazel still frowned slightly, unsure as mc gonaggle continued ‘since you will be in my house, we may continue with finding you a dorm to house you the rest of this year and the next few here within hogwarts. there are two female dorm within the gryffindor tower that have a vacancy, room 12a and room 18b, however…’ she trailed off, running as assessing glance over hazel. ‘im aware that you are part of the mckinnon clan, and therefore as a mature student beginning at hogwarts during the middle of schooling, may find it prudent to be surrounded by a familiar face. therefore, i will be assigning you to room 12a, alongside dorm mates marlene mckinnon, mary macdonald and lily evans. i will have your belongings sent up this moment. now, unless you have any questions, you are permitted to make your way back to your new dorm and begin unpacking.’
‘thank you professor.’ she replied, rising from her seat and making her way to the door. she was halted at the woman’s voice as she spoke, halting with one hand clasped around the handle and turning to see a warm smile gracing her aging face.
‘welcome to gryffindor ms o’mallenough.’
________________________
‘that was quick.’ marlene greeted her with as hazel emerged from mc gonaggles office, shutting the heavy oak door silently behind her. marlene’s bright blue eyes scanned her own, waiting. hazel forced a smile, answering her best friends unspoken question with ‘gryffindor.’
‘your in!’ marlene’s face light up, large smile blooming across her features. ‘i knew it- never doubted it for a second.’
hazel’s stained smile softened into a real one as she beheld the joy in the girls gaze before her, nodding in confirmation. ‘im in, and even better- im sharing a room with you and the girls.’
marlene whooped, tackling hazel in an almost crushing embrace, soft hair tickling hazels nose as she scrunched it against the friendly assault, laughing alongside marlene who held her firmly, laughing against her neck. she squeezed back tightly, the pair disentangling as marlene stepped back, face aglow. ‘well c’mon then, we better make our way back to the dorm room. godric, the others are going to be so excited- they where all set on creating a petition on the chance you got sorted into another dorm in gryffindor. i think lily actually still has a rough draft of it stuffed somewhere in her bedside cabinet.’
hazel chuckled, warmed at the thought of her friends caring gesture as she linked her arm through a beaming marlene’s, allowing the girl to guide her down unfamiliar passages and down spiralling staircases until they spilled into a long unassuming corridor, framed by similar glowing torches that had decked the passage by mc gonaggles office. marlene was practically skipping as she brought them towards a looming portrait, an image of a large woman possessing the majority of the canvas, clad in frilly flesh coloured ruffled silk and a matching oversized hat, expression haughty as she blinked, peering down at the two giddy girls.
‘password.’ she snipped, nose twitching slightly as if detecting a rather unpleasant smell.
‘fiddlewinnks.’ marlene responded, the words a rush as if the girl could barely contain them, and all but dragged hazel through the door to the common room as the portrait swung open to allow them entry. hazel had just enough time to glance around the room she was being ushered through, spotting a large slumbering fireplace and red plush cushioned couches before they ascended a set of long, shadow encased sprawling staircase, footsteps clattering against the stone steps as they made their way upwards. reaching the top, marlene guided them to a room on the left of the landing, the thick mahogany door embellished with the number 12a and pushed it open, charging in.
both girls paused upon its entry, hazel blinking at the room that unfurled before her. it was large, similar in size to her own back at the mckinnon’s, with pale a stone and and matching walls, decorated with various posters, the ones over the nearest bed depicting various glamorous figures that seemed to have been ripped out of fashion magazines, both muggle and wizarding alike, with the ones over the furthest- defiantly marlenes by the looks of the rock band posters and cut outs of electrical guitars that adorned the wall above the bed. the two other beds where neat, with undecorated walls and folded covers, although the one nearest marlenes had a plush purple pillow thrown upon it, a similar shaded knitted rug lying to one side of the bed frame. both girls were sitting cross legged upon it, heads bent over an open magazine which promptly both snapped up at marlene and hazels arrival.
‘your back!’ lily exclaimed, eagerly scrambling up on the bed and peering at hazel with glowing emerald eyes. ‘well, how did it go? what house did you end up getting sorted into?’
‘gryffindor.’ hazel replied grinning, watching as both lily and marys faces light up ‘and scootch your shit macdonald, that’s my bed you’ve dumped your make up on.’
‘your in our room!’ mary cried, teeth blinding as she smiled joyously, leaping up from the bed and not going to remove her make up but rather straight towards hazel, wrapping the girl up in a hug almost as tight as the one marlene has given her before entering mc gonaggles office, the girls soft curled tickling hazels cheeks as she laughed, hugging the girl back.
‘oh that just brilliant!’ lily exclaimed, wrapping hazel in her own brief hug as mary retreated, pulling back to smile at the girl, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling. ‘its going to be so fun having you in here with us- have your trunks arrived yet? here, well help you unpack and get settled in.’
as if summoned by her words, a soft crackle rang through the room and the trunk appraise as if materialising from thin air, settled right beside the bed beside lily’s, smooth white exterior bright in the glowing candlelight.
‘if i didn’t know better id swear you where a witch lils’ hazel teased, earning a gentle elbow from the red head as she glanced down at her trunk, debating if she could be bothered to unpack so late in the night. mary saved her from making the choice, scoffing fondly at lily as she chided ‘let the poor girl rest, lils. we have more important things do then unpacking.’ she scrunched her nose at the last word, as if she could think of nothing worse than organising the contents of the case into the room, a fair assumption based on marys own thrown open case, clothes flowing out of its walls and spilling upon the floor, her bed haphazardly cluttered with random dresses and cosmetics. linking her arm through hazels, she guided the girl back towards lily’s bed, the other two girls falling in step behind them as all four clambered upon it, jostling and rearranging positions until all where comfortably, if not a slightly cramped, lounging upon the narrow mattress.
‘so?’ mary probed, eyes bright as she fixed them upon hazel ‘how was the sorting? if im being honest that wrinkly old hat creeps me out a good bit, hearing its voice in your head. i hope the old thing didn’t take ages sorting you as it did with me- i swear i was this close to ripping the sagging thing off my head when it was taking its sweet time to sort me.’
‘mary!’ lily chided, face aghast as if personally offended. ‘its a powerful magical object- do you even know how much magic is needed to give an inanimate object a semblance of conscious thought? you can’t just rip it off your head just because its slightly slow at deciding your sorting.’
mary lifted a shoulder in response, sniffing slightly. ‘doesn’t make it any less creepy.’
‘it was a bit weird.’ hazel admitted, pausing before adding ‘but it didn’t say much to me. actually, i was wondering- how long did it take to sort yous all into a house?’
‘well it took the old thing ages when it came to me.’ mary responded, sounding distasteful. ‘was rambling on a bit on how i had huffelpuff qualities, but eventually decided on gryffindor- apparently i was ‘made of the house values.’ she scoffed, earning a shove from marlene, squawking as she fell onto the pillows by a grinning marlene who was the next to respond. ‘it took maybe twenty or thirty seconds for me- the same for you lils, right?’
the girl in question nodded, answering ‘about that time, yeah. what about you, hazel?’
hazel shifted uncomfortably, hand finding its way to one of the corners of the duvet she was perched upon and tugging nervously. she couldn’t help but take their responses as confirmation that something had gone wrong with her own sorting, unease worming inside her gut as she bit her lip. ‘it didn’t take long with me- actually it was pretty fast. it had hardly touched my head before it shouted out.’
‘really?’ lily wondered, eyes wide as she assessed the girl before her, mary’s expression one of similar surprise. ‘ive never met a student that’s been sorted so quickly- i heard mc gonaggle was sorted within a few seconds, but its never happened to anyone i met. you must have some real strong gryffindor qualities to have been sorted so quickly.’
she shifted uncomfortably, unease still heavy in her stomach. she wasn’t willing to explain the real reason she thought the hat was mistaken so she kept her lips firmly pressed together, eyes drifting downwards as she continued her picking at the blanket, avoiding the other’s gazes.
‘so you didn’t hear the hat say anything?’ lily asked gently, picking up on hazels unease, eyes kind as hazel lifted her won to meet her emerald gaze.
she couldn’t very well tell the girls what she had actually heard the hat whisper into the crevices of her mind so she deflected, searching hurriedly for something else to throw out that would make sense for her arrival in gryffindor. some sort of trait perhaps? loyalty? bravery?
‘i did, but only for a single word. brave. it was the only thing it said to me.’ it wasn’t a lie, not completely.
‘well there you go.’ mary grinned at her. ‘a true gryffindor, through and through.’
hazel smiled back, hoping that none could tell the strained stretch of her lips. from marlene’s slightly narrowed gaze, she was the only one that did. it was her that spoke up, voice nonchalant as she stated ‘its been a long day, and i dont know about the rest of you, but i, for one, am knackered. i think we should settle down for the night, tomorrow’s classes are off anyways, so well have plenty of time to catch up and show hazel around then.’
lily’s eyes scanned over her once more, seeming to pick up on something in her gaze as she smiled gently, responding ‘ i agree. c’mon, well get you properly unpacked tomorrow. for now, i think we all need some sleep.’
hazel smiled back at her, stretching as much as the narrow space allowed her on marlene’s bed, agreeing with ‘yeah, i could do with a good kip right about now.’
‘fine.’ mary huffed, rising from the bed and moving over to retreat her belongings off hazels bed. ‘beauty sleep is important after all. keeps you from getting wrinkles.’
marlene cocked a brow. ‘mary, your eighteen’
‘one is never too young to be concerned with wrinkles. keep up that attitude of your’s marls, and you’ll be wrinkled as a dried up prune by forty.’
‘so what?’ she retorted, shrugging a shoulder in indifference. ‘at least i won’t be bald. with all the hair products you use, ill be surprised if you have any hair left at that age.’
‘you take that back!’ mary gasped, outraged. ‘and ill have you know, those shea butter masks are moisturising, thank you very much. the only person who will be bald is you if you keep cutting your hair with what looks to be bloody kitchen scissors. you’ll be having split ends up to your roots.’
‘oi, im the one who gives her those haircuts.’ hazel protested weakly, earning a side eye from mary.
‘and do you use kitchen scissors when administrating them?’
she grinned, shrugging. ‘maybe.’
mary laughed, snatching up her plaid pyjamas from her bed and making her way to the bathroom to prepare for bed. ‘hopeless, the lot of you.’
‘i dont think ill be bald or wrinkly when im forty.’ lily mumbled as she too peeled herself of marlene’s bed and made her way to her own, already clad in her pyjamas and hair tied up.
‘of course you won’t be lils.’ hazel reassured ‘you’ll be youthful looking until old age and beyond.’
‘thank you zel’ she responded smiling brightly as she clambered into her bed, drawing the duvet all the way up to her chin until all under her nose was concealed by the thick blanket. ‘i can tell you will be too.’
‘are you not going to comment on my own youthful looks?’ marlene protested in mock hurt, clasping a hand to her chest as if wounded.
‘i would’ the red head responded, her voice muffled by the duvet covering her mouth ‘if it wasn’t for how much you smoke. im with mary on this one, you’ll be wrinkly as a raisin at the rate your going.’
‘ill let you know that it was actually hazel that got me onto those.’ marlene protested, hazel wincing at the damming, if not true accusation. ‘and she smokes way more then i do anyways.’
‘then i take it all back’ lily responded sweetly at the abashed hazel, eyes playful as she continued ‘you’ll be as wrinkly as remus is when your both forty.’
‘can’t wait.’ she responded dryly, earning a chuckle from marlene as she made her way into the bathroom now vacated by mary who was clambering into her own bed. hazel shut the door, quickly striping and changing into the large jumper and cotton shorts she had snatched from her truck along with her wash stuff, hastily brushing her teeth once changed and exiting the bathroom to allow marlene to take her place. she crawled into her bed, duvet thick and scented of fresh linens and she burrowed within it, reaching a hand to draw the thick red covers around her bed and shielding her from view.
‘goodnight.’ she called out, mary and lily returning it, a garbled response flitting out from the bathroom where marlene attempted to say it back, undoubtedly in the middle of brushing her teeth by the incomprehensible noise that she made. hazel chuckled slightly, rolling onto one side and allowing her eyes to drift close, sleep tugging greedily at her. she let it take her, the last thought being of the wrinkled old hat and its only words spoken to her as she drifted into oblivion.