Sorting Ceremony
Eventually, the twins left the booth, with little to no explanation. James was asleep, his wand rolling in his lap now and again.
Nerine played with hers, randomly swishing it in the air, nothing appeared. Phoena kept looking between the window and James slumped next to her.
“Phoena,” Nerine whispered. Her head jolted towards her. “I want to get the compass,”
Phoena nodded, “Don’t let him notice though, we have to keep it all a secret.”
Nerine stood, lifting up onto her tiptoes to reach her clothes trunk above her seat. She stood on the seat then unlatched the clips. Phoena looked at James to make sure he didn’t hear. Nerine paused for a second before reaching in, her hand slithering between unrecognizable heaps of clothes until she hit the hard object of her compass.
She struggled to pull it out, when it almost cleared the exit of the trunk, its golden exterior jangled, she paused again. When she believed she was in the clear, she pulled it out and clipped the trunk shut.
Phoena was looking at James with wide eyes when Nerine turned and sat back down. It still pointed to Nerine’s chest. Phoena offered her hand out to see it, and Nerine gave it.
Phoena put it up to her eyes, shook it, and rubbed it in attempts to experiment. It was useless, nothing changed.
“You can still see the blue glow?” she asked.
“Yea,” Nerine went to sit next to Phoena, in between the window and the girl. Phoena barely budged over, still wary of James’s presence. She pointed at one of the dots, “There’s one there,” she pointed at another, “and there. They’re moving around, like liquid.”
They listened to the train, the kids running past the booth, the voices in the seats behind them, and James’s breathing. The sun was setting with oranges and pinks, the clouds made it look that much more magical. Nerine felt at peace in that moment. Then, the voices and the running got louder. Nerine heard a kid exclaim, “There I see it!”
Nerine grabbed the compass and switched to the other side of the booth, putting it behind where she sat before James jolted awake, grabbing his wand. Phoena pressed herself against the window to see the castle.
It was ginormous and scenic. A lake surrounded its wide towers that were capped by elongated cone tops. The darkened trees and the fiery sky complemented its fairytale beauty. No wonder there's ghosts and moving portraits inside, what wouldn’t be inside, Nerine thought.
Soon after they saw the castle, the compass switched toward its direction. It was only when James quickly left with his chocolate frogs that Nerine decided to pull it out again.
“It switched! It’s pointing at the castle!” Nerine said.
“Something… or someone in there has the same magic as the wand and you!” Phoena exclaimed.
The girls both cusped the compass in their hands, looking out the window to see if they could spot the castle again, and the compass to see if it would move any.
Everytime the train turned, this way and that, the compass would point in the direction of the castle. The rest of the ride, the girls chatted about what this could mean, what could be in the castle, and if they should tell anyone, they decided not to tell any professors and to hide the compass in her robes, but if Iago ever came back around they would show him, in private.
The train chugged to a stop, students passed their window chattering and laughing. Nerine got up to reach for her trunk, but Phoena stopped her.
“They’ll transport it to your common room.” she said.
That’s when Nerine realized the students weren’t carrying any trunks as they exited the train. Now, she could see students gathering outside the window, she turned to the door when she heard a loud and deep voice, inaudibly calling out.
She followed Phoena through the hall, the boy behind her kept stepping on her heels. As they approached the exit doors, she heard the voice say, “First years thus way n’ the rest of ye to the right, ye know the drill.”
It was a west country dialect, and she turned to the source, a giant. He was as tall as the train, his robes looked like just a bear hide. He held a lantern, it seemed, as big as herself.
“First years this way, come on now, let’s go.” He was half turned forward and halfback to make sure the students in the plain black cloaks were following.
They traveled down a rocky pathway to a set of boats with no oars and hanging lanterns with no string.
“Three to a boat,” he said. “Three to it.”
There were about fifty boats in the boat yard, swaying on a wooden dock. Phoena followed Nerine as she went for one of the very last ones, closest to the castle. The water was black, the only light glinting off was from the various lanterns on the boats. The castle ahead’s light illuminated the vast lake ahead. Nerine bobbed in the boat while inspecting every window, maybe she would see a ghost.
In her pocket, the blue glow seeped through just barely, she hoped no one else could notice it. Phoena kept looking behind for Iago.
“Do you think he’ll join us now? Where is he?” All of the students looked the same, especially at night. Nerine shrugged in response, she couldn’t take her eyes away from the castle.
“Oh there he is! He is across the yard,” she paused, watching as he sat in a boat with two other boys, separating themselves from another group of two boys.
Phoena sighed in disappointment.
“Look Phoena, it's so pretty.” she tried distracting her from Iago.
“Yea…” Phoena had a faint smile, turning to watch the water below their boat.
They both turned when they heard the stomping of feet running towards their boat, there were a few stragglers, and this blonde boy was one of them. His hair flowed to his ears and his eyes were a deep blue. He was holding up his robes as he looked around the docks for a boat without three passengers. He stopped at theirs.
He half mumbled half whispered, “Can I sit here.” before Hagrid yelled out.
“Get’n yer boats, don’ be shy!” it echoed over the lake and around the dock.
The boy didn’t wait for an answer, sitting in the front and then slouching over his knees.
“Ev’ry body remain sittin’!” Hagrid called out.
“You okay?” Nerine asked.
He sat up and nodded, then looked at the water below them as their boats started to float along, engineless, and without oars. Nerine would have been excited by this, but she was curious as to who the kid was.
“What’s your name?”
“Ben.” he let out.
“Where are you from?”
“London.” he replied, he still looked at the water, she could only see his side profile.
“Is this your first time hearing about Hogwarts? It’s mine too.” she said, he just nodded yes in response.
“Who gave you your letter?” she asked, “Flitwick gave mine, he’ll be our ‘Charms’ professor.”
“Aur…” He paused, thinking of her name. “Aurora Sinister.”
“Sounds Sinister to me.” Nerine laughed to herself, looking to Phoena for validation, she smiled in response, Ben said nothing.
“What’s her subject?” she asked.
“Astronomy.”
Phoena looked up at the stars in the sky when he said this, like he made her remember they were there.
“Oh! Phoena likes Astrology, her dad has a magical telescope.”
“Yea, oh, I’m excited to see the telescopes they have here.” Phoena said, she looked at Nerine then looked at the castle, “They have an astronomy tower, I wonder if you can see it from here.”
Ben looked from straight ahead of the boat, to up at the castle’s illuminated frame.
“I think it's that tower, there.” She pointed at one of Hogwarts many towers, Nerine couldn’t really distinguish which she pointed to, there were many lighted windows that rose to meet the stars in the sky.
As Nerine analyzed the castle, she noted they were headed towards the extremely impossible staircase behind the boat yard. The trek didn’t feel as triflesome as she thought it would be, Phoena and Nerine’s every sense were taken up by the castle and its magical aura.
They entered a courtyard with a fountain, grand entrance doors, then up stone stairs in what Nerine would guess was the grand foyer. At the top, was another set of doors where, once she had breached the end of the stairs and over the heads of the students in front, she could see Flitwick, standing in regal-looking robes.
“Gather round, gather round. I know those in the back can’t see me, but listen up!” he said, the mummering on the stairs quieted.
“Welcome to Hogwarts, past these doors, and a few more after that, the Great Hall awaits your arrival. You will be sorted into one of the four houses, RavenClaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. There will be a tournament for the house with the most points at the end of the year. You can gain points from classes, quidditch, and clubs at school.”
The students’ mummerings returned, excitement at the mention of competition.
“The sorting ceremony will begin shortly,” he said, “Wait here.” He left the group, waddling his way through the doors ahead, Nerine could just make out some firelight through the crack of the door.
Phoena looked around the crowd and finally stopped when she spotted Iago. Nerine turned to look in that direction. He still stood with the group of boys from the train. He looked dejected, his head was tilted low. He looked at them, Nerine thought he looked sorry. Phoena waved him over, but he didn’t come.
“What is his problem?” Phoena asked, “Will I ever talk to him?”
That’s when Flitwick came back, “They’re ready, follow me,” he said.
They walked through the doors, to her right, she could see a tall pillar covered in framed portraits and staircases, a statue of a wizard with animals crawling around at his feet, and to the right there were four hourglasses that reached halfway up the elongated ceiling colored red, blue, yellow, and green.
It wasn’t long before they breached the third set of doors, another foyer, how many rooms would this castle have? There was a rug that led to what Nerine hoped would be the last set of doors and armored statues lined it.
Flitwick pushed the grand doors open, and the light of a thousand candles that floated all around the skylight at top, but it wasn’t a skylight it was the sky inside the hall. It was like Phoena’s bedroom, you could wisp around the apparition. Four long tables stretched out down to the stage at the end. Each was decorated in the attributed colors of the houses.
Nerine grabbed Phoenas hand and squeezed it in excitement, she squeezed back and grabbed her shoulder. Students from the tables watched them pass, some smiled, some stared. At the end, the witch from Nerine’s chocolate frog stood and smiled. On the front of the stage was a wizard’s hat like she has seen in the Ollivanders house and in Diagon Alley. Nerine could have sworn it had a face, it snarled under all its floppy fabric.
Flitwick introduced Headmistress Mcgonnagle, and she stood from the table that seated many esteemed-looking wizards.
“Hello students, before we begin I would like to let first years know that the forbidden forest is in-fact forbidden. Especially with the rise in criminal activities such as poaching, do not think you are as good as a trained Auror.” she said, looking around the room.
The girls looked at each other in wonder and fear. Mcgonnalgle took her seat again, and Flitwick started talking.
“When I call your name, you will come to this seat, I will put this hat on your head and you will be sorted into your house.”
“Teller Wilson,” he called out.
Behind, Teller and Sophie scrambled. Teller’s eyes were wide and Sophie was whispering harshly at her. She walked up the stairs and sat on the stool. The hat was placed on her head, and she closed her eyes.
After a couple seconds, the hat yelled out, “Hufflepuff!” Teller didn’t look disappointed or excited but like a deer in headlights, walked stifle to the Hufflepuff table.
Sophie grunted behind us.
“Sophie Wilson,” Flitwick called.
She walked up, the identical twin to her sister, but with an assured attitude. Her decision took a bit longer, finally the hat called, “Hufflepuff!”, and she strutted to the table to sit next to her twin sister.
One of the boys in Iago’s group was named Slytherin and Ben from the boatyard was announced a Ravenclaw. There was a Gryffindor girl, and two more Hufflepuffs.
“Iago Nott!”
He shuffled past the girls with his head down and solemnly made his way to the stage. The hat was placed on his head and it took longer than Teller, but shorter than Sophie for it to call out, “Slytherin!”.
Phoena sighed, part of her had hoped he would be in Ravenclaw, that he wouldn’t be with those boys and the same house as his father.
“Phoena Ollivander!”
Nerine squeezed Phoena’s hand before letting it go and watching her walk up the steps. She sat in the stool and Flitwick reached up to place the hat on her head. Almost immediately, it decided on Ravenclaw, Phoena’s smile was expectant but happy.
Phoena made her way to the table decorated in blue regalia. She passed where Ben sat, at the edge of the table, and sat next to him. A boy that seemed to be a fifth or sixth year stood up and reached for her hand from across the table. Nerine watched them all introducing themselves, for one moment, Phoena looked at Nerine and smiled.
Almost all the students had been called up to be sorted. By the time Flitwick had said Nerine’s name, about three students were left.
“Nerine Champagne!”
She thought she couldn’t see, a rush of adrenaline sweeping through her body. She mindlessly walked up and sat on the stool, feeling pressure from all the stares in the room. Suddenly, a voice other than her own started thinking for her.
“Determined and curious, ambitious but also an innate wisdom.” it said, “You may carve out your way to the top in Slytherin, but In Ravenclaw, all the knowledge you need will be given to you.”
Nerine looked at Phoena who looked like a statue with her hands in her lap and her unblinking expression. She looked at the Slytherin’s table, some students whispered or talked amongst each other; Iago made eye contact then broke it.
Without another moment, the hat called out “Ravenclaw!” There was applause all around the hall, but the Ravenclaw table was the loudest, Phoena pounced up at her seat and reached out for Nerine’s hand as she came to sit at the table.
Ben shifted over from Phoena so Nerine could sit next to her.
“Thank you,” she mumbled, taking her place.
“Welcome!” The older boy that had shaken Phoenas hand reached for hers. It was sweaty, probably from all the shaking of hands and excitement of new students.
“I’m Thomas Dippet the prefect for Ravenclaw, Suzie Carrol is the girl prefect, she is down the table, with the badge.” He pointed down, Suzie had bright red hair that clashed against her blue robe, she was in a deep conversation with someone in front of her. “We also have a head girl in Ravenclaw, she is…” His head swiveled around, down the table. “Oh, she is talking to Suzie, Elizabeth Trewlany.”
Another cheer erupted, a girl with braided hair was sorted into Gryffindor, leaving one more student.
“Elizabeth’s aunt told the prophecy that Harry Potter would kill Voldemort, she basically started the wizarding war.” Phoena said, while the applause died down. Thomas sat down, starting a conversation with another Ravenclaw boy.
“And Thomas is Armando Dippet’s grandson by eleven generations.”
“Whose Armando Dippet?” Nerine asked.
“The headmaster before Dumbledore.”
The final applause broke out, a girl with pin-straight brown hair that hung just at her shoulders was sorted into Slytherin.