3 - the sorting ceremony
When Venus Black woke up the next day, everything felt hazy and confusing. The memories of the day before all coming back at an alarming pace, she could feel the headache coming already. Please let that all been just a dream, a bad dream.
But as she came to her senses and her vision cleared out, she was very much at the Guest Wing at Hogwarts. Of all the dumb shit she has done in her short 17 years of life, this one has to take the medal for the Dumbest. I mean- honestly, why couldn't she do things right for once.
"This is a nightmare", she says out loud, "like actually."
The process of getting up, washing her face, brushing her teeth, straightening her hair, ew, and putting on her uniform that had, rather than the Gryffindor crest she was so proud of, the Hogwarts crest felt like it lasted hours. She was so not ready to go to the Great Hall, she was not ready to face the consequences of her actions, but most of all, the Sorting Ceremony.
Her original Sorting was shit at worst and fucking awful at best. See, because of her father, who at the time was a mass murderer convict at Azkaban, and the rest of her family, the people at Hogwarts hadn't been exactly happy to see her. She remembers clear as the light that lightly shines the bedroom she's slept for the night, when her name was read by Professor McGonagall and the Great Hall got eerily quiet, as if the students were waiting for a bomb to drop.
She remembers the slight tremor in her legs as 11-year-old Venus went up those stairs, not looking anyone directly in eye, put the Hat on her head and heard a voice in her mind that made jump while she sat. "Miss Black, aye, I remember thar last name quite well, got a nasty reputation your family. But what to do with you?", the Hat had asked, as if she would know the answer to that.
"As much as your personality has a bit of everyone in the bloodline, one speaks the loudest. Oh yes, very loud and proud your father was, and you are just like him, in ways you have yet to discover for yourself", Venus frowned at that, she had not heard good things about her father from her cousin Narcissa and her husband. Not that their opinion really mattered, but still, they're only one she's ever heard.
"I know just what to do with you", in her head, the only option possible was Slytherin, that's her cousins House, it's the one she had to go to if she didn't want a screaming match with Lucius, but her hopes fell pathetically when she heard, "Better be... GRYFFINDOR!"
And the Great Hall still held that silence, that awful silence, no one clapped for her like they did for the other 1st years, she understood then, she was not welcomed, she was not wanted, just like she wasn't at the Malfoys.
That was not her proudest moment, things got better thankfully, but she doubted the same would happen now. And just as she was seriously considering jumping off the bloody window, a knock resounded through the room, she opened the door and the familiar strict, albeit younger, face of Professor McGonagall came in to view.
"Miss Mayfield, I suppose?" the Professor said with a curious but guarded tone, Venus could've cried, she was so happy to see her again, but brokenhearted at the fact the wasn't who her previous professor knew, she was Miss Mayfield now.
"Oui M'dame, you must be the Transfiguration Professor? The Headmaster mentioned you might be the one to take me to the Sorting, it's a pleasure to meet you." It felt weird speaking French after so long not practicing it, she hopes she won't have to speak it too much and that the excuse of her parents being British wizards in France would work well.
"Professor McGonagall, and it is a pleasure as well Miss Mayfield, are you ready for your Sorting? Breakfast just started dear; you must be hungry from the late-night trip from Beauxbatons." Something in the way Minerva was looking at her, made Venus think maybe she should have changed her eye color as well, too late for that, I guess.
"Yes, ready as I'll ever be." Yeah, right. She mentally scoffs.
The walk to the Great Hall was torturous but reflective, Venus had to get her act together, internally, and start to think. The amount of lies she would have to come up with to keep her cover intact are already making her dizzy, so she tried to mentally organize it, as well as devise a fake life for herself:
1 – She is Miss Elora Mayfield now, not Venus and most definitely not a Black;
2 – She is a British witch, born from British parents who happen to work in the French Magical Government, therefore she goes to a French magical school;
3 – Since Mayfield is NOT a pureblood surname, she will be a halfblood; muggleborn father and pureblood mother. She will think of a forgotten pureblood family later;
4 – Her accent is mainly British because she did grow up in England, French is her second language, thank you very much;
And last but not least;
5 – She does not know anyone in that Hall, nor do they know her, so it doesn't matter who she meets, she has to remember to be as neutral as possible, Switzerland her way in conversations.
The closed doors of the Great Hall are suddenly opening up and the entire student body and Professors alike have their eyes on her. She wants to faint, run away, jump off the window, fake a heart attack, but she doesn't, she's stronger than that, she was fighting Death Eaters not long before this, she was better than her blood freezing fear.
So, she chined up and walked alongside Minerva not looking at anyone besides Headmaster Dumbledore, who was warmly smiling at her from his podium.
"Miss Mayfield, hope you had a good night. Welcome to Hogwarts my dear! Now... if you could please sit, the Sorting Hat will be placed on your head, and decide which House will be your home for this upcoming term." Dumbledore was always too bubbly for her taste, Venus could not see why she had to go through this again, the Hat could never mind his own business.
Venus sat at the stool that was most certainly not made for people older than eleven, and tried to scan the Great Hall as best as she could whilst not giving any reaction. From her point of view she scanned table after table, the Hufflepuffs didn't stand out to her too much, she couldn't outwardly recognize anyone yet; the Ravenclaws were safe as well, although she though she saw a recognizable head of blond hair that reminded her of Lockhart, better not go there yet; the Gryffindors took her breath away and slapped her face with it, so many faces, so much pain, so much family; the Slytherins made her blood run cold, she could clearly see Snape sitting there, looking bored and scowling at her, she also saw some soon-to-be Death Eaters.
Yeah, Slytherin is NOT an option, I'll end up in Azkaban before I turn 18 in November.
Venus was distracted with her own thoughts when the grave voice of the Hat surged in her head. "Oh yes, yes, with your history Slytherin is not a good idea Miss Black, and although I have once upon a time put you in Gryffindor, things are different now," Venus' blood ran cold once more, she understood it might be risky to be put in Gryffindor, but is the only thing close to familiarity she has here, "I understand that Miss, but there will be obstacles on your path in this adventure that will not be conquered if you go to your original House, you'll have tasks dear, difficult tasks to undergo, It'll be more useful for you to be as neutral as possible throughout all of it."
Venus supposed that made sense, didn't mean she had to like it.
"With that being said, BETTER BE...", she sucked a breath in for what seemed like a thousand years and, "RAVENCLAW!!", she let the breath out and sagged her shoulders with half-relief half-surprise as the respective table lit up with cheers, now that's a first. She could do with Ravenclaw, that's as neutral as it comes.
She gives the Hat back to Dumbledore as he smiles with slight approval, and walk towards the Ravenclaw table. As she makes herself comfortable, a 7th year blond girl smiles at her and extends her hand for a shake, "Hello! Welcome to Ravenclaw, name's Linda Bradley, Head Girl, nice to meet you...", she waits with a patient and kind smile.
"Elora, Elora Mayfield, likewise." She's nice, might be good to be friends with the Head Girl.
Just as Linda prepares to surely ask questions, Venus hears the familiar voice of Professor Flitwick behind her, "Oh Miss Mayfield, hello there, Professor Flitwick, Charms Instructor and Head of the Ravenclaw House. Here, take this, this will be your timetable for the term, the Headmaster gave me your previous Educational History last night, with your chosen classes for your NEWT's already, so you are all set!", oh did he?, let's take a look, shall we.
Wait, this is pretty accurate actually, huh.
"Thank you so much Professor, this is really good, thank you so much." Venus says, smiling at the short Professor, she quite liked Flitwick.
Soon, she ate what she could stomach for breakfast and alongside Linda, who Venus shared most of the classes with, walked to Ancient Runes, her first class of the day, already hoping for this day to be over and she could go to sleep again.